Born in Nottingham (1969) but raised in Johannesburg, South Africa, and then Leeds, true to her family name – Tinker – Joanne trained to work with metal, earning a first class degree in Silversmithing and Jewellery from Birmingham in 1992.
Joanne’s work is heavily influenced by the concept of recycling; transforming metal bottle tops, acupuncture tubes, confectionary wrapping, and aluminium cans into something precious, something special.
The use of chocolate foil wrappings remains a constant in her work – not because of my love of chocolate – but rather her wholehearted appreciation of the material’s colour, texture, delicacy and strength. Simply, she unwraps one form and recreates another. And then repeat. And repeat.
As many collections are categorised by forms of repetition, so her collections are characterised by the replication of multiples and miniatures, blending her childhood fascinations with deliberated uniformity.’
Some of Joanne’s early work is also on permanent display at the National Science Museum, London.
