After a great train trip into the country we arrived at Pforzheim to see the only museum in the world dedicated to jewellery. It covered a great range of work from 2400BC to the present day as well as tools and techniques, jewellery from non-western cultures and the history of jewellery making in Pforzheim.
To see such a great breath of styles and making was a real treat for me as pictures in books are good but never quite capture everything no matter how close up you get.
Highlights for me were seeing the pre-medieval and medieval jewellery sections, the monumental papal and Jewish wedding rings, memento mori rings especially the snake ring made out of human hair and other hair jewellery, and the mosaic jewellery.
I really like rings as you just probably gathered from that last line but I have a feeling that my work for this project will not be based around a ring form but from something I had seen at the Treasury.
After getting a photo in front of the most amazing tool collection ever seen, we went off and actually bought a few from Carl Fischer and another store in town.
Clare
Monday, March 28, 2011
catching up on the last days of the trip-Munich
Since we had nothing planned as such on Tuesday I took myself to see where the royalty of Bavaria used to live-The Residence. Here you can view both the rooms where various rulers once lived and conducted their business and in a separate area some of the amazing workmanship of The Treasury. After days of viewing contemporary jewellery it was great to then go back and see where jewellery and object originated from. As the people chosen to create these pieces were the some of the best in regards to quality of workmanship to observe this was great as especially in Australia work of this quality is a little thin on the ground.
To give an example of the workmanship shown, there was a rosary betnuss which was a round box that when opened had about four panels folded inside of it and which was carved in minute detail with scenes taken from the bible in boxwood. Further information given stated that the time taken to carve it all was approximately fifteen years! That is dedication to your craft.
The jewellery and regalia were no less impressive but were of the time that they created in, using gold and beautiful stones. I preferred the look of the medieval-based jewellery as it has both the mark of the marker on the pieces and also they didn't try to make everything in perfect symmetry but worked with a stones natural shape as opposed to say jewellery from the 19th century where stones were faceted and of more regular shape and size. This reminded me of a kind of homogenised, go-anywhere-look that could be found in any court in Europe, H&M of their day perhaps?
While many people going through seemed only seemed interested in the shiny, pretty and sparkly stuff, there were other items that were just as interesting for me. There was a room that showed off an impressive collection of rock crystal carved tableware that had been etched and engraved, and also tableware craved out of stone such as malachite. Some pieces were so thin that you wondered how many had been broken so just one could be created.
The Residence itself was no less impressive and the room that stood out was the reliquary, where from centuries of collecting there was pieces of bodies and items belonging to saints and people from the bible. The work for housing the items was no less impressive than that in the Treasury but I guess in our more secular times also a little disturbing especially the coffin displayed in the middle of the room that housed an infants body. For me it was sad as well for it felt as though these people, whoever they were, hadn't been given a chance to rest in peace.
Clare
To give an example of the workmanship shown, there was a rosary betnuss which was a round box that when opened had about four panels folded inside of it and which was carved in minute detail with scenes taken from the bible in boxwood. Further information given stated that the time taken to carve it all was approximately fifteen years! That is dedication to your craft.
The jewellery and regalia were no less impressive but were of the time that they created in, using gold and beautiful stones. I preferred the look of the medieval-based jewellery as it has both the mark of the marker on the pieces and also they didn't try to make everything in perfect symmetry but worked with a stones natural shape as opposed to say jewellery from the 19th century where stones were faceted and of more regular shape and size. This reminded me of a kind of homogenised, go-anywhere-look that could be found in any court in Europe, H&M of their day perhaps?
While many people going through seemed only seemed interested in the shiny, pretty and sparkly stuff, there were other items that were just as interesting for me. There was a room that showed off an impressive collection of rock crystal carved tableware that had been etched and engraved, and also tableware craved out of stone such as malachite. Some pieces were so thin that you wondered how many had been broken so just one could be created.
The Residence itself was no less impressive and the room that stood out was the reliquary, where from centuries of collecting there was pieces of bodies and items belonging to saints and people from the bible. The work for housing the items was no less impressive than that in the Treasury but I guess in our more secular times also a little disturbing especially the coffin displayed in the middle of the room that housed an infants body. For me it was sad as well for it felt as though these people, whoever they were, hadn't been given a chance to rest in peace.
Clare
All images taken from The Treasury, Munich.
Friday, March 25, 2011
A Thankyou
Over the time we have been travelling, we have met some amazing people, both artists and gallery owners and seen some amazing works. We have had some amazing experiences, not only did we get to meet these people we had previously only read or heard about but many of them also invited us into their studios and galleries, into their world, to share their knowledge with us. I would like to thank all of those people who we met overseas who contributed to the success of our trip. We have been provided with valuable experiences and knowledge that we can now use in our own development and making.
Of course none of this would have been possible without Karin. Thank you so much for all of the work you put into organising this trip. It has been amazing and we have all learnt so much! I hope that other studios and other years can learn from our trip and use it to base other trips on. This was a fantastic oppertunity to learn in a totally new and foregin environment. I am astounded by the amount of information I have been exposed to, the amount I have absorbed and the amount I am yet to still process.
Hannah
Of course none of this would have been possible without Karin. Thank you so much for all of the work you put into organising this trip. It has been amazing and we have all learnt so much! I hope that other studios and other years can learn from our trip and use it to base other trips on. This was a fantastic oppertunity to learn in a totally new and foregin environment. I am astounded by the amount of information I have been exposed to, the amount I have absorbed and the amount I am yet to still process.
Hannah
Catching up with my past few days.
Monday we have visited Helen Britton, David Beilander.
David Beilander is originally from Switzerland, having goldsmith trained and studied at the Munich academy, He has explained about his making and there were a lot of interesting points have been mentioned.
What’s interest me was that when he describe his process of making, he think of the idea first and then look for the material for it, for example his sausage neck piece made out of the back of Thonet bentwood chair. How would you think this! Sorry for my terrible assumption that I thought that was some sort of already made plastic toy! his work is very tricky and an element of humor. He describe that how European history of ornamentation is more and more and too much of detail so there for he reduced element through the process of making, how he transform the material by process of making but keep how simple it can be without loosing the detail, in comparison Helen’s work which is s intricate and detailed, more like constriction which is very different approach to David. Both have very different approaches to contemporary jewellery making but at the same time the most important things for them is that the importance of wearability. Jewellery have to be wearable and then it not a jewellery.
Their works are coming to gallery Funaki in later this year; I would like to see the show very much.
Wednesday Pforzheim, visiting real schmuck museum!
We have caught a train about 3 hours. My experience of schmuck museum was amazing.
Was so lucky to be able to see old jewellery, collections, so many amazing craftsmanship, so many details, was just so mind-blowing… baroque of jewellery, rococo, medieval, mourning jewels. All of them were stunning. I love the color of rich orange gold and the combination of colorful precious stones…. I also enjoyed seeing very old Egyptian jewels too.
I was just mind-blowing to see what human can create these delicate and finest tiny details,
It was very interesting to see the technique and ornamentation of jewellery after seeing new different approach to jewellery. But yet I believe something is same, the somebody spend time to produce something so beautiful for somebody, is such a beautiful things.
I had wonderful trip for two weeks and I am very looking forward to going back to my bench.
s
Thursday, March 24, 2011
The end
We come to an end of a wonderful journey filled with laughter, intrigue, culture and of course jewellery. Have been awe struck by the works and talent of these contemporary jewellers, I have been pushed to broaden myself as a jeweller, and have been given the hope that the possibilities are endless when it comes to the creative mind. I am a dreamer, this journey has been my dream, an other world of experience, fantasy, imagination, absorbing itself into my mind, to be released throughout my life when it is needed, a bottled history of knowledge just waiting to be shared! Can not wait to see where this dream will lead me.....
Some unforgettable highlights:
Some unforgettable highlights:
Some Photo highlights.
I love taking photos and I am constantly running to catch up to the group after pausing to take a photo of something. After reviewing some of the photos I have taken I realised just how many I had taken of nature. Maybe its because its constantly surrounding us or perhaps its because of its vast difference from home, I don't feel the need to work out why. Here are some of my favorites.
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| In the Flower Market, Amsterdam |
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| A bird in the Albert Cuypstraat, Amsterdam |
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| A duck in the English Gardens, Munich |
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| Small bird in the English Gardens, Munich |
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| A swan lands on the lake in the English Gardens |
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| Daffodils in Pforzheim |
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| Munich Sunset |
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| A market flower in Munich |
Schmuck Museum Pforzheim
Today we travelled to Pforzheim by train, which took about 3 hours, to visit the Schmuck Museum. I was really looking forward to see antique and traditional jewellery because I was little bit overwhelmed by observing contemporary jewellery over the past 2 weeks. Once I got into the museum, I was surprised and extremely excited to see all different jewellery tools in one place which was displayed on a wall. In front of it, different collection of contemporary jewellery and then Art deco, Art Nourvo, Jugendstil movement, renaissance, baroque of jewellery and ornamental watches were collected with a huge display and each explanation of its collection. It was a shame that we couldn’t get the photos of it which it was painful to remember each one of historical collections. The pieces were amazing. I was fascinated by their finest element of details and exquisite handwork with figurative ornamentation, especially on precious stone setting, enamelling on precious metals, and also their designs by each different periods of time. It was interesting to see the development and transformation of design and techniques of jewellery, which somehow became more complex and feminist idea in some way. I compared myself between historic and contemporary jewellery which are that firstly historical and antique jewelleries were made in different purpose and idea, to expressed cultural, religious, feminism, mourning, self-beauty and wealth of their family etc, whereas, as the technology development have changed the whole idea of purpose of making, it became more broad and gave spaces to express certain concepts of our own characteristics and ideas. Where precious metals such as silver and gold, and precious stones were easy to obtain at that time, these days the high price in precious metals affected in some way to buy them, therefore part of jeweller artists began to create and seek for their own kinds to make jewellery. It is hardly to find jewellery with finest ornamentation and details engraved on pieces these days and see less technical expression on ornaments than previous jewellery. Even if there was, mostly are done by the machine or use the power of technology to create pieces. It may some point that we are becoming inactive of making of jewellery that requires finest detail or whatever that is in techniques and finding easy way of making i.e. for example mass-production. However, using technology in contemporary or non-contemporary field doesn’t mean it is bad thing and I think of this as one part of the development in jewellery field, where we are in 21st century. I hope this won’t get excessive on applying technology into jewellery and sometimes it is easy and better to think in mind of craftsmanship of the past because contemporary jewellery movement wouldn’t be exist without development from historic jewellery, which has a beginning and an end.
It was pleasant to see huge collections of them which reminded me to think back of the origin of jewellery, and look back of its history.
Souvenir
Day 15:
While packing my suitcase today in preparation for our long journey home, I had a chance to look at the souvenirs I’d purchased. My souvenirs fell into two categories; the kitsch (cuckoo clocks, magnets, bike decorations) and the sentimental (pieces of jewellery, books, postcards).
While packing my suitcase today in preparation for our long journey home, I had a chance to look at the souvenirs I’d purchased. My souvenirs fell into two categories; the kitsch (cuckoo clocks, magnets, bike decorations) and the sentimental (pieces of jewellery, books, postcards).
I’m bringing these objects home for the memories associated with them. Some of these objects I will keep forever, some I will give away, some are mass-produced and others are handmade. Each one connects to an event, place or person I’ve experienced on our trip.
And what a wonderful trip it’s been! Till next time….V.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Pforzheim - Schmuck Museum
Schmuck Museum, was most definitely a surreal experience for me, as I had never walked into a Museum, MUSEUM and seen it all dedicated to jewellery. I felt as if I was seeing something that had previously been forbidden to be displayed in such an historical way. In front of me were years of history within my chosen field that I had never in my wildest dreams thought I would be seeing in person. Mind boggling beautiful in their detail, even more so to conceive the mechanical age they were in when these intricate masterpieces were produced!! The skill levels were PHENOMENAL!!!
Jewellery overload at the Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim
We travelled to Pforzheim, in the west of Germany to visit the Schmuck Museum, the only museum in the world solely dedicated to the display and preservation of Jewellery. The collection displayed there is ENORMOUS encompassing all kinds of historical, cultural and contemporary jewellery. The vast range of pieces displayed at the museum was truly amazing.
I especially enjoyed the collection of Ethnic Jewellery. I don't think I have ever really seen ethnic/tribal jewellery before and on the rare occasion when I might have it would have been displayed in an Anthropological museum rather than one focused purely on jewellery. The ethnic collection showcased pieces collected by Eva and Peter Herion who had collected the pieces over more than thirty years on their worldwide travels.
The pieces from Papua New Guinea were my favourite, incorporating rare feathers into their designs. It was really interesting to see jewellery that was not inspired by western influences. The pieces displayed were made purely for tribal use, to show power, healing, status wealth etc. Every piece is representative of something in its tribal context, unlike jewellery of today's western culture where jewellery can be worn for purely aesthetic reasons.
The contemporary collection contained many works which I had seen only in books. Peter Chang's brightly coloured pieces were great to see in real life and looked even more vibrant and lively than in pictures I had seen. A Rene Lalique pendant (1897 - 1898) of two peacocks caught my eye. I had seen it in an old book last year while doing an assignment. Even though the piece is just over 100 years old it the pristine condition amazed me. That said, you can only imagine how amazed I was at the near perfect condition of pieces dated BC!
There was so much to see! It was amazing to see so much jewellery, so well preserved and so diverse in its origin.
Unfortunately I was unable to take pictures in the museum but here is one I took on the way to the Museum.
Hannah
I especially enjoyed the collection of Ethnic Jewellery. I don't think I have ever really seen ethnic/tribal jewellery before and on the rare occasion when I might have it would have been displayed in an Anthropological museum rather than one focused purely on jewellery. The ethnic collection showcased pieces collected by Eva and Peter Herion who had collected the pieces over more than thirty years on their worldwide travels.
The pieces from Papua New Guinea were my favourite, incorporating rare feathers into their designs. It was really interesting to see jewellery that was not inspired by western influences. The pieces displayed were made purely for tribal use, to show power, healing, status wealth etc. Every piece is representative of something in its tribal context, unlike jewellery of today's western culture where jewellery can be worn for purely aesthetic reasons.
The contemporary collection contained many works which I had seen only in books. Peter Chang's brightly coloured pieces were great to see in real life and looked even more vibrant and lively than in pictures I had seen. A Rene Lalique pendant (1897 - 1898) of two peacocks caught my eye. I had seen it in an old book last year while doing an assignment. Even though the piece is just over 100 years old it the pristine condition amazed me. That said, you can only imagine how amazed I was at the near perfect condition of pieces dated BC!
There was so much to see! It was amazing to see so much jewellery, so well preserved and so diverse in its origin.
Unfortunately I was unable to take pictures in the museum but here is one I took on the way to the Museum.
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| Walking in Pforzheim |
Hannah
Pforzheim
Day 14:
“Jewellery was still closely connected with magic and mythic conceptions which influenced and shaped the lives of the people. Fertility and hunting magic, amulets and talismans were used to express rank and prestige….”
“Jewellery was still closely connected with magic and mythic conceptions which influenced and shaped the lives of the people. Fertility and hunting magic, amulets and talismans were used to express rank and prestige….”
This snippet of writing refers to jewellery dating from the third millennium BC, housed in the historical section of the Schmuckmuseum in Pforzheim. It caught my attention because I love the idea of jewellery being magical; possessing supernatural and mysterious powers. A piece of jewellery can have a myriad of stories attached to it (real and imaginary….) – it is a way of connecting to the body, to others and to the supernatural.
Take for example, a 17th century ‘momento mori’ ring on display.
White hair is beautifully woven around a tiny enamel skeleton figure, enclosed by rock crystal and set in a golden ring. Who owned the ring? To whom is the ring a memorial? How did they die? Old age, the plague, murder?
The only limit is your imagination.
The only limit is your imagination.
V.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
The Aussie and Swiss combo
Helen Britton, Galerie Louise SmitWhere as Helen's style of work is more like a collage of ideas and elements. Her background is in the fine arts so for her things such as drawing are as integral to her competed work. She showed us the plan for an exhibition that is about to take place in Western Australia that included not just the finished pieces but a number drawings that related to this as well.
They were a nice contrast to Wendy Ramshaw and David Watkins from the day before as their respective careers have a great deal more dynamic movement and freshness of ideas. Though both couples have a definite sense of humour that is refreshing to hear in the contemporary art jewellery scene.
Clare
Full Circle
Day 13:
When I first visited Gallery Funaki, before I started Jewellery and Object at SCA, I fell in love with Schuster’s house. In the few years between seeing it at Funaki in Melbourne and now purchasing it at the Pinakothek in Munich, I have learnt more about contemporary jewellery than I could have possibly imagined.
Today on our day off I returned to the Pinakothek der Moderne to revisit The Danner Rotunda (a treasure trove of contemporary jewellery, curated by Karl Fritsch) and to make a very special purchase; Henriette Schuster’s little golden house.
In a different city and at a different time, it feels like things are starting to come full circle. My little golden house will always symbolise how much I have learnt and how much I will continue to discover.
V.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Art and The Traveller.
An art gallery is like a foregin country. You enter, sometimes with some background knowledge, you experience, you leave. If you thought it was amazing, you might visit again, might tell your friends. If you thought it was awful you tell your friends not to go and you have no intention of returning. The basic motions in both situations are the same. Think about it. But what do an art gallery and a foregin country have in common you may ask? Lots! At first when I made this comparison I didn't think there was much to it, but the more I thought about it the more I discovered. I will try to explain...
You travel to a gallery to see exhibition Y. You have some basic knowlege, the artists name, the medium they work in, but nothing too in depth. Once at Exhibition Y you are now in the artists world. Like a traveller you pause, absorb, interpret, ponder and form views on what you are seeing. Eventually you leave, with the information you have accumulated and make a decision as to whether you liked it or not.
Regardless of what you thought of the exhibition there is one similarity between the gallery visitor and the traveller that stands out to me. As a traveller you enter a foregin country or place, one which is not your own. You may like it, you may not, but regardless there is still a level of respect that is present as you are in a place other than your own. Things may work differently than at home but that is the way things work in the place you have visited. This respect is just as present in an Art Gallery. When looking at the works displayed you have a level of respect for the work and for the maker, regardless of you opinion of the piece. Even if you hate a piece you still acknowlege that its maker has put time and effort into its production. You may not see it as amazing but others might. You are respectful that there will be differing opinions on a single work.
This comparison has been re-occuring over the last couple of days. We have seen so many exhibitions and works, many of which I have loved but also many which I have not liked. Although I may have disliked a piece I can still appreciate it as I know that someone else may love it.
Hannah
You travel to a gallery to see exhibition Y. You have some basic knowlege, the artists name, the medium they work in, but nothing too in depth. Once at Exhibition Y you are now in the artists world. Like a traveller you pause, absorb, interpret, ponder and form views on what you are seeing. Eventually you leave, with the information you have accumulated and make a decision as to whether you liked it or not.
Regardless of what you thought of the exhibition there is one similarity between the gallery visitor and the traveller that stands out to me. As a traveller you enter a foregin country or place, one which is not your own. You may like it, you may not, but regardless there is still a level of respect that is present as you are in a place other than your own. Things may work differently than at home but that is the way things work in the place you have visited. This respect is just as present in an Art Gallery. When looking at the works displayed you have a level of respect for the work and for the maker, regardless of you opinion of the piece. Even if you hate a piece you still acknowlege that its maker has put time and effort into its production. You may not see it as amazing but others might. You are respectful that there will be differing opinions on a single work.
This comparison has been re-occuring over the last couple of days. We have seen so many exhibitions and works, many of which I have loved but also many which I have not liked. Although I may have disliked a piece I can still appreciate it as I know that someone else may love it.
Hannah
Sunny Sunday
Another leisurely start, perhaps it was because it was the weekend. We all went to hear the talk by English jeweller couple David Watkins and Wendy Ramshaw and what was interesting to hear was their approach to work and their willingness to try new materials and techniques to create their body of work. Also just hearing that they haven't stayed with just making jewelery but have branched out into textile design, garden installations, gate design etc. was inspiring.
The talk was at a museum called Pinokethek that had a couple of exhibitions also held there. One was a retrospective of Peter Skubic whose work has an industrial quality to it through the use of both material such as steel and form (lots of very mechanical inspired pieces). Although not a style I personally enjoy, it was interesting to see another side of jewellery/ object making. The other exhibition held was one curated by Karl Fritsch using pieces from Pinoketheks' own contemporary jewellery collection. Lots of great work by well known people in the business, but a couple of the displays, in particular the necklaces were crowded into their particular display areas.
After Pinokethek it was off to see Helena Lehtinen's 'Gardens'. Her inspiration for the work was the idea of what lies beneath the snow in the northern winter. It wasn't what I expected and to tell the truth I don't know what I did expect to see, but for me the meaning of the exhibition didn't happen till after I read the artists statement. Perhaps this might mean that work for me must have some kind of figurative element but then why do I like people like Rosalie Gascoigne and Barbara Hepworth?
The last exhibition was 'Some kind of heaven-Will Rambo be there?'. A great installation of the work. They used long oblong picture frames covered in white fabric that were hung from the ceiling so you walked around the work that was placed on these hanging 'walls'. It also contained the work of 2 of the girls from 'Ladies Boxes' whose names unfortunately escape me at the moment but it was good to see more of their work.
Clare
The talk was at a museum called Pinokethek that had a couple of exhibitions also held there. One was a retrospective of Peter Skubic whose work has an industrial quality to it through the use of both material such as steel and form (lots of very mechanical inspired pieces). Although not a style I personally enjoy, it was interesting to see another side of jewellery/ object making. The other exhibition held was one curated by Karl Fritsch using pieces from Pinoketheks' own contemporary jewellery collection. Lots of great work by well known people in the business, but a couple of the displays, in particular the necklaces were crowded into their particular display areas.
After Pinokethek it was off to see Helena Lehtinen's 'Gardens'. Her inspiration for the work was the idea of what lies beneath the snow in the northern winter. It wasn't what I expected and to tell the truth I don't know what I did expect to see, but for me the meaning of the exhibition didn't happen till after I read the artists statement. Perhaps this might mean that work for me must have some kind of figurative element but then why do I like people like Rosalie Gascoigne and Barbara Hepworth?
The last exhibition was 'Some kind of heaven-Will Rambo be there?'. A great installation of the work. They used long oblong picture frames covered in white fabric that were hung from the ceiling so you walked around the work that was placed on these hanging 'walls'. It also contained the work of 2 of the girls from 'Ladies Boxes' whose names unfortunately escape me at the moment but it was good to see more of their work.
Clare
Wendy Ramshaw and David Watkins talk
We went to Wendy Ramshaw and David Watkins lecture talk AND it was in ENGLISH! It was very very very nice to listen in english away from Australia in Munich. The talk was fun and humorous which I wasn't expected and I couldn't believe they both worked for more than 50years and I wander how they have managed to work together for so long time. I was also interested that they began to make jewellery out of paper when they first started their collaboration work. What I think of paper jewellery, is that it has temporary and fragile quality of material and I was amazed by their creative idea to use its material to attempted to break the traditional concept of jewellery, especially during 60s and 70s where people were very much in used to wear precious matal. Last year I worked with paper as I was thinking of only temporal effect on meterials that they are not carrying the notion of 'duralbility' and un-wearbale pieces to wear on body. The difference is that the aim was 'to make' wearable jewellery pieces whereas I was aim to make 'unwearable' pieces, only thinking of unattainable ideal its material to work with in jewellery. It was very useful lecture and I took curage from its talk in any conception.
After the lecture, I went to another gallery called 'Garden'. The pieces of work by Helena Lehtinen was interesting the way she collaborated with beads, silver and natural branches where it was beautifully wrap around by colourful threads and silver was attached which I could not guess how it was done, and the beads were delicately thread on silver. The colours somehow reminded me of my childhood, where I used to play with colourful toys and doll and houses which were all made out of colourful colours to attract people especially to babies and children. The beads were also one of my favourit things to play with, make necklace out of beads with my mum that was on the inside of kids plays package. The colour mediated on my childhood and I question to myself 'why'? How does it make me to recall memories of my past and why? What did they do to my brain?? It was strange..
Outside of the gallery, there was another exhibition going on which was displayed on show window. The first thing I saw was.. a dead spider legs made into a pendant, then a horse poo, and then, a cow poo, and the last, I can't remember., I didn't want to look closely because it nearly made me sick beginning from the spider legs. I am sorry... It was my first time to feel unpleasent to look at jewellery.
At 4oclock, we went to 'Baby Bling Bling' closing party with jewellery performance. I can not say anything about the performance because it was in German and obviously did not understand what they were performing and the story about it. The performance was very unfamiliar and strange but, it was very new scene.
After the lecture, I went to another gallery called 'Garden'. The pieces of work by Helena Lehtinen was interesting the way she collaborated with beads, silver and natural branches where it was beautifully wrap around by colourful threads and silver was attached which I could not guess how it was done, and the beads were delicately thread on silver. The colours somehow reminded me of my childhood, where I used to play with colourful toys and doll and houses which were all made out of colourful colours to attract people especially to babies and children. The beads were also one of my favourit things to play with, make necklace out of beads with my mum that was on the inside of kids plays package. The colour mediated on my childhood and I question to myself 'why'? How does it make me to recall memories of my past and why? What did they do to my brain?? It was strange..
Outside of the gallery, there was another exhibition going on which was displayed on show window. The first thing I saw was.. a dead spider legs made into a pendant, then a horse poo, and then, a cow poo, and the last, I can't remember., I didn't want to look closely because it nearly made me sick beginning from the spider legs. I am sorry... It was my first time to feel unpleasent to look at jewellery.
At 4oclock, we went to 'Baby Bling Bling' closing party with jewellery performance. I can not say anything about the performance because it was in German and obviously did not understand what they were performing and the story about it. The performance was very unfamiliar and strange but, it was very new scene.
Garden
Garden, by Finish Jeweller Helena Lehtinen
In this solo exhibition Helena produced series of work looking into function of the memory.
Helena's work contain imagination of thinking of how the garden in full bloom might be look, in winter, under the snow. is that blight yellow blossom? or blue glasses underneath?
Remind me of smell of fresh garden in front of myself,
The works are almost like Scandinavian silkscreen print, but in tactile quality, in three dimensional,
yet by the light the beads are sparkly and full of lively.
In Scandinavian during the winter, having only short period of daylight, all covered in powder snow white, The landscape is almost in monochrome world, the snow covered the landscape and project the silhouette of the shadow project on top of each other, on white background.
Yet, from the street, the house from the window, insides are all lit up by candlelight and soft indirect illumination, and with bright Scandinavian beautiful textile curtain.
Helena's imagination of garden were beautifully displayed in a gallery space, almost like the Scandinavian winter afternoon... on the street on the way home, when daylight goes down and street light and all the houses are lit up.
Her used of material combination and the choice of colour create this imaginative plant for the body.
Saori
Home Truths
Day 12:
On our journey we have had the opportunity to visit the studios of Ted Noten, Laura Deakin, Helen Britton and David Bielander, stepping into their private jewellery making worlds. Each studio space was a dream one; organised into planning, making and chilling out areas with benches covered in tools and materials galore. Very exciting!
The studio visits also exposed some ‘home truths’ about working professionally as a contemporary jeweller; the most relevant one being that it is really, really tough to make a living from. If you can manage to make a living from jewellery alone, be prepared to work exceptionally hard and be 150% committed. If you can’t, you have a job on the side and work on your jewellery exceptionally hard and be 150% committed.
What struck me was that success wasn’t a factor in this. Being successful doesn’t mean you make money. If you love it you find a way to do it.
When I return to uni I know that the studio visits will impact the way I work; in the way I organise myself, my tools and my materials, structure my working time (less cups of tea, aka procrastination) and last of all, to keep working hard, and prepare myself for what’s to come.
V.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Shock Tactics
Day 11:
Between all the gallery visits, openings and exhibitions it would be dishonest to say everything I've seen at Schmuck was brilliant.
There has also been a lot of shit.
And today, I literally saw shit, in Nicola Scholz's exhibition, 'Tete a Tete'/Caution!Fragile!Handle with care!' in the form of clumps of cow and horse manure, strung on gold wire to create neck pieces. The manure pieces, along with necklaces made of spider's legs, fangs and silk, were displayed in the window of the gallery. According to the artist's statement, the pieces aim to make your skin crawl, and to make you think. The choice of materials, in particular, the manure and its presentation as jewellery within a gallery context intends to push the limits of acceptability within the contemporary jewellery world.
Now...I'm all for pushing boundaries, but Scholz's manure necklaces reeked of shock tactics as opposed to a legitimate statement regarding the constricting, conservative nature of the jewellery world...
I think it is important to distinguish between the use of shock as a tactic to challenge traditional boundaries and the use of shock that becomes in itself voyeuristic, and empty of meaning.
I have seen pieces of jewellery that question contemporary jewellery making and philosophy that have stuck with me, and impacted on the way I work, materially and conceptually. These pieces have made strong, memorable comments through subtlety or humour; I didn't need to be shocked to gain something from them.
Regardless, I'm sure I will always remember the manure necklaces....as a gimmick. And maybe the artist intended nothing more than that.
V.
Between all the gallery visits, openings and exhibitions it would be dishonest to say everything I've seen at Schmuck was brilliant.
There has also been a lot of shit.
And today, I literally saw shit, in Nicola Scholz's exhibition, 'Tete a Tete'/Caution!Fragile!Handle with care!' in the form of clumps of cow and horse manure, strung on gold wire to create neck pieces. The manure pieces, along with necklaces made of spider's legs, fangs and silk, were displayed in the window of the gallery. According to the artist's statement, the pieces aim to make your skin crawl, and to make you think. The choice of materials, in particular, the manure and its presentation as jewellery within a gallery context intends to push the limits of acceptability within the contemporary jewellery world.
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| Image from Nicola Scholz's exhibition Tete a Tete. |
I think it is important to distinguish between the use of shock as a tactic to challenge traditional boundaries and the use of shock that becomes in itself voyeuristic, and empty of meaning.
I have seen pieces of jewellery that question contemporary jewellery making and philosophy that have stuck with me, and impacted on the way I work, materially and conceptually. These pieces have made strong, memorable comments through subtlety or humour; I didn't need to be shocked to gain something from them.
Regardless, I'm sure I will always remember the manure necklaces....as a gimmick. And maybe the artist intended nothing more than that.
V.
Pinakothek Der Moderne
Exhibitions and Events Today:
Pinakothek: Radical; Peter Skubic, Danner Rotunda - Modern Jewellery; curated by Karl Fritsch, 'All about Me'; Wendy Ramshaw and David Watkins. Baby Bling Bling.
Pinakothek: Radical; Peter Skubic, Danner Rotunda - Modern Jewellery; curated by Karl Fritsch, 'All about Me'; Wendy Ramshaw and David Watkins. Baby Bling Bling.
'ALL ABOUT ME' WENDY RAMSHAW AND DAVID WATKINS
Was an incredibly packed lecture theatre, was very curious to see this as I only had a vague recognition of the names but could not remember the works associated with them. Wendy and David had a wonderful dynamic as they bounced stories and ideas off one another whilst recollecting there vast careers and history. Must say got a little frustrated with the slides, as there was a time limit for the story per slide, but as any one would, recollecting their past, things got carried away and we either had to flick back a slide as Wendy had not finished talking or stop half way through the story as to not run over time. Needless to say we didn't finish on time...
Was amazing to see the portfolio's of these two Jewellery and Object makers, and to hear the concepts behind them and how the state of the society and culture of the time played significant roles in these.
My biggest achievement for today would be to realise my weird obsession with the street lamps over here, perhaps an inspiration for the project attached to this trip. I will share some of their loveliness with you all....
Art is not an International Language 2.0
Today’s experience further supports my previous discussion about the language of art.
Today was the final day of the official Schmuck 2011 schedule. We decided to attend “Baby Bling Bling” which was described as a Jewellery Performance. I was immediately interested. A jewellery performance? What on earth could that possible involve. Would they be making, breaking, displaying, wearing, talking about??? I really had no idea what to expect.
The performance itself was enthusiastic and interesting however by the end of the performance I still didn’t really understand what was going on. My basic understanding led me to believe there was a section for each artist involved and each section displayed that artists work while actors performed ‘skits’. I’m guessing that each performance related to the work however I can’t be sure as a majority of the performance was in German, a language which (I like to think I can but actually) cannot understand.
Understanding or not, I still found the performance interesting. I had never thought of the combination of performance and jewellery, however now that I have experienced it, it makes sense. Each piece is displayed on a moving body, worn, the way jewellery is intended to. Instead of being displayed as a stationary object in a cabinet, it is able to move with the body, enhancing each piece. This movement is something which I hope to draw on in future works.
My understanding and interpretation of the “Baby Bling Bling” performance could be entirely wrong. Is the understanding of the words that were spoken even vital to understanding the performance? I will never know.
Hannah
Exhibition by Mari Ishikawa, Mia Maljojoki, Caroline Steinau-Steinrück, Flora Vagi.
Here we met real Mari, who was so lovely! we got her catalogs for the library.
This was my favorite exhibition so far,
so much special private piece, I adore.....
Karin being happy surrounded by full of jewels.
s
the powerhouse trio and others
The day started at a much more leisurely hour of 10.30am when we headed off to see 'Returning to the jewel is a return from exile'. This was a show of the powerhouse trio of Fritsch, Rothman and Baines. It was a little disappointing as the original pieces shown in last years exhibition weren't all there. Still it was impressive and I liked the way it was displayed having the pieces on a circular table in a little room that is part a historical building called the Residenz. The next show that was of interest was 'Paradise Re-gained' which was housed in an historical architecture/interior design salvage shop. Although the pieces had a modern feel to them they fitted in well with the surroundings as the colours used could be seen in the various items in the store. Really interesting work from an Estonian jeweller.
The other show that was intriguing was put together by grad and post grad students from France. Their show held my interest because the jewellery was inspired by animals and also had pieces made for animals to wear. They also created a great little film showing how the jewellery worked by utilizing either photoshop elements of animals or people dressed as animals.
And lastly I put on a brave face and went back to see 'Look'. This time I was able to view the pieces better as there was another source of light coming into the room and it wasn't as crowded. What made it really interesting was being able to talk to one of the jewellers who exhibited, Carolina Gimeno. She explained how her pieces were created by making 3D forms in the round that are soldered and then she enamels them. Very interesting, makes enamelling even more interesting when we finally get to do it later in the year. Also we found out that she is originally from South America but goes to school in Spain. Contemporary jewellery is certainly international.
Clare
The other show that was intriguing was put together by grad and post grad students from France. Their show held my interest because the jewellery was inspired by animals and also had pieces made for animals to wear. They also created a great little film showing how the jewellery worked by utilizing either photoshop elements of animals or people dressed as animals.
And lastly I put on a brave face and went back to see 'Look'. This time I was able to view the pieces better as there was another source of light coming into the room and it wasn't as crowded. What made it really interesting was being able to talk to one of the jewellers who exhibited, Carolina Gimeno. She explained how her pieces were created by making 3D forms in the round that are soldered and then she enamels them. Very interesting, makes enamelling even more interesting when we finally get to do it later in the year. Also we found out that she is originally from South America but goes to school in Spain. Contemporary jewellery is certainly international.
Clare
Carolina Gimerno taken from 'Look' currated by Ruudt Peters. [Sorry the image is on its side]
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Day 3 of Exhibition Hopping
Exhibitions and events today:
Returning to the Jewel is a Return from Exile, Paradise Regained, Five of a Kind, Ladies Boxes, Animal Parade, or Jewellery without People, English Gardens and The Goldsmith Party
Returning to the Jewel is a Return from Exile, Paradise Regained, Five of a Kind, Ladies Boxes, Animal Parade, or Jewellery without People, English Gardens and The Goldsmith Party
PARADISE REGAINED
Artist featured: Tanel Veenre
Absolutely loved this exhibition! :) Another great example of the endless possibilities and choices you have for an exhibition space and how to display your work.
Paradise Regained was in what appeared to be an old antique shop along a side street, filled with brass objects, old doors and bits and bobs from a unique era. And displayed in the back room on the old double glass and brass doors are all these intriguing shapes/forms and colours of Veenre's work. The over all feel created is one of romanticism, exotic and contemporary. The jewellery invites a visceral response on wanting to touch the works, they look other-worldly, almost animal like, an intrigue of the sensory. It was like being transported to another time walking through the shop, then to be hit by these colourful glimpses of the future, you experienced a journey.
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| Tanel Veenre "Wreath of Victory" 2011. Fishing Floats, wood, silver, cosmic dust |
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| Tanel Veenre "Wreath of Victory" 2011. Fishing Floats, wood, silver, cosmic dust |
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| Tanel Veenre "Radiance" 2011 Fishing Floats Pearls, Silver and cosmic dust |
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| Tanel Veenre "Radiance" 2011 Fishing Floats Pearls, Silver and cosmic dust |
Historische Baumaterialien
Some interesting items I found in the Antique Building Supplies shop where 'Paradise Regained' was exhibited.
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