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).

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. 

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….”

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 17^th 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.

V. 

Full Circle

Day 13:

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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.

Image from Nicola Scholz's exhibition Tete a Tete. 

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.

A Rare Breed

Day 10:
I have discovered a rare breed of species, virtually unknown in Australia.

Found in the cold climate of Munich, amongst Schmuck's gallery openings, book launches and exhibitions, and enjoying a wide diet ranging from Champagne and canapés to beer and bratwurst, they also feast on all aspects of the jewellery world (metaphorically of course....)

I am talking about the brooch wearing male, part of the bigger European Man Brooch Phenomenon.

Suave and sophisticated and of the heterosexual and homosexual variety, it has been a treat to see these men (artists, jewellers, gallery owners, wealthy patrons and general jewellery enthusiasts) wear their brooches on their lapels with pride.

And just to clarify, we are not talking about an inconspicuous pin here, but big pieces of sculptural, pin on art.

There is no question amongst these men that jewellery is something to be enjoyed by both men and women but in Australia, men treat the brooch with some suspicion. Rings, fancy watches and necklaces are all worn happily, but other than the button pin variety (with a Che Guevara or a band logo perhaps), I have seen very few (if any?) Australian men proudly showing off a beautifully crafted brooch.

I'm not sure why. Because the 'man-brooch', so to speak, is uncomfortable? Uncool? Unacceptable?

Personally, I hope this European attitude will soon rub off in Australia - that the brooch wearing male will become an introduced species.

So Dad, if you're reading this, watch out. It's brooch time.
V.

Picture Perfect.

Day 9:
A photograph of a piece of jewellery represents a transformation.
It has transformed a 3D object into 2D - changing the object's sense of scale, depth, context, decorative and technical details. In a photograph you only see what the maker wants you to see or what is relevant to the context of its publication.

Throughout the duration of our trip I have had the opportunity to match pieces of jewellery I've seen in books to the real thing. And those I haven't seen before, I see in a completely new light, far away from the superficial response I have to jewellery while flicking through books, blogs and websites, where judgement relies on what the photo represents rather than what the piece does.

Today we visited Laura Deakin's studio. I have come across images of her pearl work frequently but never taken the time to have a closer look or investigate her work further. However, when I saw and touched the real pearl pieces I loved them; particularly where she had embedded the iridescent shells of fake pearls in contrasting colored plastics.

In photographs I just totally hadn't got Laura's work. I secretly felt a bit guilty - how superficial my jewellery book flicking had been!

V.

Look....if you can see

Day 8:
During our visit to 'Look', an exhibition at Galerie Sonja Junkers, curated by Rudt Peters, two of my fellow travellers had to physically leave the exhibition space due to a headache and dilated pupils.

Was it because the work was just that mind-blowingly amazing/shockingly bad that it triggered a physical response?

No. It was the exhibition space or 'scenography' by Friedenrike Daumiller, a narrow room lit only by black lights, that had caused such a dramatic reaction. We couldn't see. The pieces were bathed in an eerie purple haze, making it near impossible to 'look' at anything, let alone concentrate on any one work in particular.

It was just so....strange. What was Rudt thinking? Has he lost the plot? Is it some sort of joke? A stubborn act of rebellion? Why curate an exhibition of jewellery where you cannot see the jewellery?

Rudt's reasoning for the bold concept of 'Look' could be a combination of any of these things. I think, within the context of Schmuck, where lighting has been key at every exhibition, Rudt is challenging his audience to really think about the way we look at contemporary jewellery.

No one left 'Look' with an understanding of the collection of jewellery Rudt pulled together. The only way to see pieces of the collection was via digital flash photography, which would transform purple shadows into 'truer' images of the work where colours, materials and details could be seen. While I appreciate the concept of 'Look' as a tool for discussion about the way we look at jewellery, it was a pity that the jewellery was a casualty of a bigger idea.

From now own, I'll make an deal with Rudt - next time I'm bored, lazy or half hearted at a jewellery exhibition or gallery, I will think back to 'Look' and remember how thoroughly irritating it was to miss the chance to see something new. In Rudt's words, featured on the back wall of the exhibition, I will look, 'As Long As It Lasts'.

Image taken from Look, curated by Ruudt Peters presented by Caroline van Hoek at Galerie Sonja Junkers

V.

The Real Karl

Day 7:
Today I met Karl Fritsch. The real Karl Fristch.
I'd like to say I talked to Karl, but after being introduced to him, I went beetroot red and laughed nervously while Karin preceded to tell Karl how I named Metrosideros Robusta 'Karl' and was carrying it around with me everywhere (only in transit!).

I'd like to think the whole situation was endearing (as opposed to pathetic and possibly very creepy) but it was a fine line...

However, all of this concentrating-very-hard-on-Karl's-rings-to-avoid-all-possibility-of-further-eye-contact gave me a unique opportunity to carefully look at each of the rings he had on display as part of Schmuck's Exempla 2011 - Workshops of the Future and reflect on the reasons why I love them so much.

His collection at Exempla was various; thick black ring bands pierced with rusty nails and screws, a skull leering with roughly bejewelled eyes, delicate bands of blackened silver and gold supporting precarious formations of faceted and rough stones and antique rings with free form shapes growing and twisting out of stone settings.

Karl's rings are both beautiful and ugly, delicate but heavy, rusty and shiny, permanent with temporary features, old and new, free formed yet meticulously made. Each ring is a little treasure-trove of contradictions which I can look at over and over again. And Metrosideros Robusta (aka Karl) is my treasure chest of Karl's creations.

V.

Home Sweet Home?

Day 5 and 6:
Yesterday we arrived in Munich.
Today I am feeling a little under the weather, and while my fellow travelers are exploring, I am lying in bed; resting, reading and now blogging in our new home - the Euro Youth Hostel.

While we will all have fond memories of the Vita Nova barge (rowdy British tourists, that smell, the constant kerfuffle of the shower and no tea after breakfast) it is nice to each have our own comfy bed. We have a window, a table and chairs, three sinks, a (comparatively) spacious bathroom and reading lights. Hannah has even purchased some beautiful red tulips and placed them in a makeshift-watterbottle vase!

It's funny that when you're on the otherside of the world, so far away from the familiarity of home, these little things make it easy to call somewhere else, for now at least, home.

V.

This Little Piggy

Day 4:
Today I am the proud owner of a Ted Noten 'Miss Piggy' ring!

This little piggy went to market (Frozen Fountain, Hema and tourist shops galore),
This little piggy came back home (Vita Nova - our beloved barge...),
This little piggy had library dinner (minestrone and roast veggies),
And this little tired piggy yawned, yawned, yawned all the way home!

Tomorrow myself, Piggy and 'Karl' will be heading off to Munich for Schmuck 2011!

V.

Free Stuff Makes Things Better

Day 3:
Today I saw more jewellery than you can poke a stick at.
I feel as though my brain is so filled with jewellery that it is coming out of my eyeballs.
But in a really good way.

Galerie Marzee was today's highlight. Filled with literally hundreds of beautiful, ugly, weird, thought provoking (and some thoughtless...) pieces you really couldn't get any better - Gijs Bakker's laminated orchid comb, Karl Fritsch rings (and a photo of Karl himself, as in the human being, not the 'Karl' hiding in my hand luggage), Stephanie Fleck's googly eyed neck piece 'Halssieraad' and a myriad of other inspirational objects.

You couldn't get any better that is - until you get something for free...

A free Galerie Marzee catalogue from Marie-Jose van den Hout herself, plus four free postcards, cups of tea and some truly incredible biscuits (there was perhaps a fine line here between biscuits being offered and biscuits being taken, but were nonetheless also free...and delicious) made the visit even more exciting.

So, a quick breakdown of some of the sweet free stuff we've received so far:
Atelier Ted Noten's studio: plastic red arrow pins + free mint tea and apple tart + dvd for the library
Galerie Rob Koudijs: magazines for the library
Galerie Louise Smit: A selection of catalogues and magazines for the library.

And now for my corny, not so materialistic moral of today's blog - the most exciting 'free stuff' we've received in our trip so far are opinions, ideas and advice from some extremely influential collectors, artists and gallery owners of the contemporary jewellery world.

And that is what makes this trip so special.

V.

Karl and I...a budding relationship....

Day 2:
Today I proved my dedication to Karl Fritsch.

I purchased Metrosideros Robusta from Galerie Ra. This beautiful catalogue of Karl's work has not only cost me a portion of my shopping budget, but also my physical well being. You see Metrosideros Robusta, now affectionately nicknamed 'Karl', weighs about the same as a small child.

Carrying Karl from Galerie Ra to Galerie Louise Smit, to Frozen Fountain and back to the Vita Nova barge before dinner...(decided to drop him at home, too soon for a dinner date?) was not only a test of personal endurance, but an act of love.My Metrosideros Robusta-induced back and shoulder pain is a testament to this dedication.

Karl and I now prepare for an exciting journey through Holland to Germany and returning to Australia, always close to my heart and my 20kg luggage limit.

V.

I AMSTERDAM - An Acrostic Account of A Day's Adventure in Culture and Cuisine...

Day 1 - sleep deprivation....

Arrive at Amsterdam airport after a 20 hour flight.

Meander through Amsterdam's beautiful (very cold) city streets.

Soup - pumpkin and lentil, sheltering from the cold!

Tea and apple tart at Ted Noten's studio - delicious and educational.

Eight degrees Celsius. For realz.

R+18, loads of naked people / Risk assessment for hazards on our barge (shower in particular - number one hazard: loss of dignity)

near-
Death experiences....bicycles rule the road, tourists do not.

Amazing chocolate at Puccini - Ginger and star anise, yum.

Mention (continuously) our jet lag throughout the day, time for bed!

Signing off from Amsterdamian barge, V.