Lean In: In Conversation

Laura Deakin, Dr Marian Hosking, Dr Blanche Tilden in conversation with Anna Varendorff about the development and making of the Lean In exhibition.

The trio will also discuss their recently announced mentorship program, inviting interested makers to join and learn more.

Following the talk, Laura Deakin will open her studio for visitors located across the road in the iconic Nicholas Building. This is a rare opportunity to gain insight into the working practice of a jeweller whose work spans both commercial and conceptual contexts. All are welcome to attend, places are limited due to the confined space.

Presented as part of the 2026 Radiant Pavilion program.

About Lean In:

Lean In brings together new work by three of Australia’s most innovative and established contemporary jewellers: Laura Deakin, Dr Marian Hosking and Dr Blanche Tilden. This exhibition showcases jewellery and objects created through a sustained collaboration between these makers, who have spent time working side-by-side, leaning into each other’s practices, and experimenting across studios.

The exhibition considers the idea of ‘leaning in’ both literally and metaphorically. It describes the physical act of working in the studio, of exploring materials, of listening closely to the rhythms of another’s process. It also signals the spirit of collaboration – an openness to exchange, to embracing risk and transformation. Deakin, Hosking and Tilden have explored shifts in scale, unexpected uses of signature materials such as silver, glass, titanium and repurposed objects, and new ways of working that emerged from ideas passed back and forth. In leaning into each other’s methods, they have sparked innovation and revealed the creative potential of studio-based collaboration.

Lean In is an invitation: to move closer to the work, to notice fine details and to enter the dialogue between artists. It asks audiences to lean into the conversation that unfolds when mentorship, friendship and curiosity intersect with material intelligence and generosity. At once intimate and ambitious, the exhibition celebrates how leaning in can mean listening, supporting, challenging and ultimately expanding the possibilities of contemporary jewellery practice.