Brooch of barbed wire, by Scott Anderson, USA, 2001.

Section of barbed wire, its ends held in brass mounts.

Given by the Artist

This pin was made for the 'pin swap' held at the 2001 conference of the Society of North American Goldsmiths, Richmond, Virginia. It is part of a collection of pins made for this event by the students of Robert Ebendorf at East Carolina University, and given to Clare Phillips who represented the V&A at this conference (M.16-2001 to M.26-2001). According to the artist 'The concept behind the barbed wire pin comes from the definition of the word snag, which means to run upon or entangle with. I have seen many movies that have a scene of a person getting their clothes snagged on a barbed wire fence while trying to crawl over or under it. SNAG is also the abbreviation for the Society of North American Goldsmiths'.

A 'pin swap' is an ice-breaking event traditionally held at the start of American jewellery conferences. Delegates make a batch of inexpensive but distinctive pins or brooches which they then exchange with other attendees. It is intended to encourage people to circulate and socialise, and generates an ingenious if perhaps ephemeral array of commemorative work.

This pin was made for the 'pin swap' at the annual conference of the Society of North American Goldsmiths held in 2001 in Richmond, Virginia. It is part of a collection of pins made for this event by the students of Robert Ebendorf at East Carolina University, and presented to the V&A.

A 'pin swap' is an ice-breaking event often held at the start of American jewellery conferences. Delegates make a batch of inexpensive, original and distinctive pins or brooches which they then exchange with other attendees. It is intended to encourage people to circulate and socialise, and generates an ingenious if perhaps ephemeral array of commemorative work.

M.22-2001