This work is number 15 of 32 produced for the artist's degree show collection during her 4th year of jewellery and silversmithing design at The Glasgow School of Art academic year 2018/2019. The body of work was titled 'Together Living' and was inspired by some of the intricate symbiotic relationships at work in the natural world - many of them unobserved or misunderstood. In the work, diverse materials were applied to mimic these instances of symbiosis. The consideration of tactility and light in each piece is intended to invoke a sense of curiosity that reveals more than initially meets the eye. Piece 15 is inspired by the relationship between ants and aphids - the ants offer protection to the aphids whilst the aphids produce 'honeydew' to feed the ants as a reward. The piece is comprised of handcut out silver (gold plated) and aphid shapes, encased by a protective steel frame as a reference to scientific storage of research specimens.
More information on the wider collection is available at https://eleanorwhitworth.cargo.site/Degree-show-collection.
