Cut Off Your Hands
When it comes to jewellery, I’ve never been the conventional type. I tend to steer away from delicate chains and fancy filigrees in exchange for a more heavy aesthetic. I like my chains like I like my music. Heavy and loud! Jewellery should make a statement. It should say something about you and the creator themselves, and this is where Cut Off Your Hands is right at home, smelting bespoke pieces that can only be described as brutally beautiful. Distorted lines and molten curves make way for ostentatious gems to bring to life Alana’s wonderfully unique creations. Never one to shy away from the noise, Alana is also on vox for The Pass, who are themselves a brutal blend of punk, power-violence and stoner doom! Let’s dive in shall we …
Please tell us about yourself and Cut Off Your Hands – what’s in the history?
My name is Alana and I’ve been slinging jewels since 2016! I live in Ballarat and work from my home workshop full time. I love making beautifully ugly pieces full of texture. The name ‘Cut Off Your Hands’ jewellery came from me thinking that people were going to love my jewellery so much that they would never take it off, so therefore if someone wanted to steal the jewellery off them they would have to cut off their hands! Brutal, I know haha
Tell us about how you started out in jewellery design and the journey so far?
I wanted to find a career other than hospitality, which I had worked in for about the 15 years previously. I knew I was creative, but had never quite found the thing I was passionate about. I had always wanted to learn how rings were made so I asked a friend who was studying the advance diploma at Melbourne Polytechnic and they told me where to get some supplies etc. I thought I would have a little play and see if I liked it! So off I toddled to the supply store bought a basic set of tools required to make a ring (I started with the lost wax method where you carve/build up rings in wax first) and sculpted my very first ring. I got it back from being cast and polished it up and OMG I was IN LOVE. So, I enrolled in the Diploma of Jewellery and Object Design at Melbourne Polytechnic and started doing all the things you need to do to start a business. I didn’t mess around. I registered the name, started a website, an Instagram and slowly built it into a business. While studying I was very fortunate to get a job working for another jeweller (Windfall Jewellery), which was a priceless experience. I worked there for 5 years before taking the leap to working full time for myself in 2021.
Creatively, how did you get hooked on the brutal aesthetic?
When I started making rings, I felt drawn to create pieces with quite hard lines/edges with slashes of contrasting oxidised metal. I’d been introduced to the architecture movement ‘Brutalism’, which focuses on the exposed structures rather than design elements. A lot of raw concrete is the feature that I fell in love with. This style influenced my design ideas and still does. I love the way that over the years concrete weathers and can become stained and chipped etc. I like to capture this natural degradation in my work. What I couldn’t believe when I discovered this style was the fact it was called Brutalism as I’m generally drawn to things that are a little hectic and ‘brutal’ whether in music, art or film.
You’re also the vocalist for The Pass, can you tell us about the band and what influences you?
We are a four piece, and I can’t even really tell you what genre of music we are because we are a bit of a mix of everything haha. We’re a bit punk, a bit power violence with a touch of stoner doom thrown in. I’ve only been a part of the band for about a year and a half but I get to live out my childhood dreams and it rules so hard. I think there’s the extroverted part of me that just loves to get on stage! However, I never would have thought I would get the guts to sing. Lucky I play with some absolutely dead set awesome legends (including my husband Joel) who made me believe that I could get up there and do it. It’s wonderful making music with friends!
As to personal influences, when I was about 19 I was obsessed with Tairrie B of Manhole/Tura Satana/ My Ruin . She was this strong, outspoken women dealing with the misogyny of the male dominated metal scene. Not only was she a badass vocalist who sounded like she just drank whiskey and chewed gravel for breakfast, but she was also so goddamn cool. I only wore Ruby Woo or Russian Red Mac lipstick for years due to her. Nowadays, I would say that one singer that really influenced me was Riley Gale from Powertrip. I just loved the way his vocals sounded. RIP! I listen to a lot of power violence/grindcore bands and generally music that your mum would hate.
What’s coming up next for you, COYH and The Pass – tell us everything!
In terms of The Pass, we recently did some recording so we are super excited for that to be unleashed! No doubt we will have a release party gig! We just play for fun so there’s no real future goals other than to just keep playing gigs and writing new stuff!
With COYH, this year I’ve been trying to do more events and get my work in front of people in real life instead of just on the computer screen! At the end of this year I’m doing a couple of events, Madame A’s Exhibits and then Oddities and Curiosities in December so I’m going to be spending the next few months prepping hard for those! I feel like I’m entering a new phase of exploration with my work, so I’m excited to see where it takes me. I just want to keep up the momentum, so tell your friends about me haha.
Links
cutoffyourhandsjewellery.com
Instagram: @cutoffyourhandsjewellery
facebook.com/cutoffyourhandsjewellery
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