B.
A. Alexander Blank Bunny pendant, 2007 gold, deer horn 3.75 x 2.25 x .25
A is for A to Z Guide, in which your author, courtesy of the SOFA New Voices research grant, traveled to London to attend the Collect craft fair. In this text he presents a series of observations, reflections and speculations about his experiences there.
C.
B is for Iris Bodemer, whose sophisticated awareness of materiality is a classic and elegant manifestation of this tendency within contemporary jewelry. Whatever other meanings exist in her jewelry, a primary issue is how materials and juxtapositions of materials create meaning. She demonstrates how a jeweler can create rich and intelligent objects without necessarily appealing to other kinds of conceptual investigations or narratives.
E is for Encyclopedic Galleries, such as Galerie Ra, Galerie Rob Koudijs, Galerie Marzee and Galerie Louise Smit, all from the Netherlands (contributing to this country’s renowned status for contemporary jewelry production and design). Taking part in Collect, these galleries have an extraordinary representation of work by European jewelers. They offer the illusion that one event can introduce you to almost everyone – and every thing – important in the European contemporary jewelry scene.
C is for Collect, the event which styles itself as ‘The international fair for contemporary objects’, and is organized annually by the British Crafts Council. It was first held in 2004 in the galleries of the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) in London, one of the world’s great decorative arts museums. In 2009 the fair moved to the Saatchi Gallery, a change that was partly pragmatic (the event had outgrown the V&A, the new Saatchi Gallery was available for hire and sufficiently large) and partly aspirational (Charles Saatchi and his gallery were perceived to be at the hub of contemporary art market). Collect is a great place to see contemporary jewelry from Europe. In 2011 there were 44 exhibitors, split between galleries from the United Kingdom and galleries from mainland Europe. Of the 44, twelve showed contemporary jewelry alongside other kinds of craft, and five showed contemporary jewelry exclusively. There were no American galleries present. (See Yankee.)
F is for Function (of contemporary jewelry). (See Wearing.)
photo: Alexander Blank courtesy Galerie Rob Koudijs B. Mia Maljojoki Explosive: Frozen Fireworks necklace, 2010 plaster, pigment, paint, silver, ruby, strap 5 x 4.75 x 1 photo: Mirei Takeuchi courtesy Galerie Rob Koudijs C. Catherine Truman Hybrid Red and Hybrid White brooch, 2010 hand-carved Chinese boxwood, shu niku ink, sterling silver, steel courtesy Galerie Ra D. Esther Knobel Magnet brooch, 2010 enamel on copper 3.75 x 3 x .25 courtesy Galerie Ra
G is for Geography, which is an interesting and valid concept for understanding contemporary jewelry. That is, as long as geography doesn’t become confused with national identity or nationalism. While it is fine for contemporary jewelry to reference or engage with place, it is not fine for it to be limited by place. Contemporary jewelry in Europe strives to attain a state of internationalism (belonging everywhere, confined nowhere). (See Nation.) H is for Horology, the art or science of measuring time. (See Volker Atrops.)
I is for Individuality, as in the individuality of a jeweler’s style and the uniqueness of individual pieces, which enables the overwhelmed viewer to distinguish one piece of jewelry from another. D is for Dr Damian Skinner, an art historian and A distinctive visual language is a major advantage curator based in New Zealand, who is also editor in such situations, as is the production of strange objects that resist categorization or easy analysis. of Art Jewelry Forum. (See A to Z Guide.) The double take, or the “what is that?” reaction, is a powerful tool in the crowded market place of contemporary craft fairs and may lead to the desired consummation of the relationship between contemporary jewel and collector. J is for Ike Jünger, whose enamel and silver brooches could be mistaken for everyday, found materials worn by use. They are, in fact, highly calculated surfaces and combinations of geometric forms that flirt with the problematic (because it comes from another art form) but entirely appropriate description of ‘painterly’. D.
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