In a world where single use items are the norm and purchasing sustainable products can set you back an arm and a leg, it is the Dunedin students who have learnt to get crafty. Critic Te Ārohi spoke to two students who have successfully channeled their artistic side alongside their studies.
Emma Gentry
Among the thoroughfare of busy bodies marching to and from class, Emma Gentry sets up shop whenever Radio One hosts their market sessions. The third-year undergraduate in Zoology and Marine Science has mastered the art of linocut printing, an art form that involves carving patterns into thin rubber sheets, which are used like stamps to print designs onto her chosen canvas. Emma calls these lino prints ‘tiles’ because the art it creates can be "quite repetitive" in nature.
Emma began her creative empire while perched at the desk chair of her Selwyn College dormitory, selling postcards featuring her pressed prints. Armed with a drink bottle in place of a rolling pin, she would stamp her ink-doused tiles onto her canvas of choice. Just as an old lady knits during church service, Emma used to use lecture time to carve out tiles, "making a mess" in the process, she quipped. With carving tools as her weapon of choice, she finds this process quite "meditative." Insects and creepy crawlies appear to be Emma’s muse, with many of her designs based upon the natural environment she studies.
More recently, her artistic endeavours have led her into the wonderful world of fashion, extending the scope of her prints onto whatever garment she can get a hold of. To stamp her lino prints onto cotton, Emma has to whip out the oil-based ink and methylated spirits, essentially treating her room as Walter White's caravan. Stinking up the flat in the process, Emma shares sympathy with her flatties: "I'm sorry flatmates, for gassing out the house."
Emma is also attempting to bring bartering back, accepting trades for her artwork or garments (let's hope this isn't a recession indicator). "I've done some pretty dodgy meetups,” she jokes. One trade involved swapping some stickers for a collection of shells. Emma also mentions that she is trying to organise a trade with Kaia from the student band Audio Visual Drop Kicks (AVDK) to get a copy of their newest album on CD.
Find Emma’s creations at the next Radio One Market or at one of Te Oraka’s night markets. If you can’t wait till then message her on Instagram @emma_gentry_.
Francesca’s Bling
Francesca makes her own jewellery out of upcycled beads and sells her creations in the campus thrift store, Te Oraka. Each of her chic creations are unique in character and sold under the name Francesca’s Bling. She confesses to Critic that she only makes items “that I would wanna wear in case no one wants to buy it.” Respect the hustle.
Francesca never used to wear jewellery. But as she bought more she realised that it was really expensive to get anything of good quality. To beat the system, she began making her own at the end of 2022, her first year at Otago University. Soon "people started asking me where I got [my jewellery from]." It was at this point when she started producing enough to sell.
Wielding some point nose pliers and a pair of wire cutters gifted by her grandfather, Francesca works out of her North Dunedin flat bedroom. She says that her room gets "really messy." With tiny bits of wire pinging around all the time (ones that would make you say ‘youch!’ if you stepped on them) Francesca "never wears bare feet" around her room anymore. It takes the jeweler five minutes to craft a set of earrings, and just over 30 minutes to make a necklace. Francesca says that “coming up with ideas” can be challenging at times. Because all of her beads are secondhand, she needs to get creative with her designs.
After setting up shop at one of Te Oraka's night markets, Francesca was contacted by the store asking if they could stock her products. "I guess lots of the girls who worked there liked my stuff," the jeweler humbly remarks. This meant that Francesca’s Bling earnt some well deserved shelf space in the store. When someone buys one of her pieces from Te Oraka the moolah is bank transferred directly to the jeweler, meaning the campus thrift store takes no share in the profit.
Rummaging through op shops is the most time consuming part of the hustle. Thankfully, Francesca's mum is a fiend for the thrift, so will pick up lots of goodies for her daughter. When Francesca hits the op shops she is on the look out for any high quality beads, like pearls and glass beads. Since everything Francesca sells is upcycled, it fits neatly into Te Oraka's circular economy kaupapa.
Becoming the ultimate gift giver, Francesca's new talents come in handy around Christmas and during 21st season. Just like Oprah Winfrey, she says, “Everyone I know gets earrings or bracelets for their birthday.”
While being a campus thrift store, Te Oraka aims to make sustainability accessible to everyone through a series of events and initiatives. Francesca was invited to run a jewellery crafting workshop in the store earlier this year. Teaching attendees how to repurpose and repair old jewellery, the store supplied all the beads and equipment. Francesca was surprised that some of the skills that she takes for granted, like threading, were not universal. “But everyone picked it up pretty quickly.” The jeweler said the students all made very cool and unique pieces. “I never would've thought of what everyone else created!” she proudly exclaimed.
If you want to purchase some of Francesca’s Bling, head into Te Oraka. They’re open from 11am to 1pm every weekday during teaching semester.