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TID BIT OF THE DAY: METAL RULES

October 15, 2013
"unrelated", everyone, everything
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Hello readers,

I realize it has been a bit of time since I’ve posted anything. I’m sorry. I took a long summer while starting a new job and moving to a different city, etc. Now that i’m done ‘adjusting’ to all that I will break my four month spell of zero posts and leave with you this bit I have found in a book called, THE SECRET OF METALS. Being who I am – and who some of you are, i’m sure – I found the following to be pretty fucking sick; to be reminded why I was originally brought to jewelry in the first place is refreshing, especially so epically so, and especially among today’s mess of contemporary bullshit where I often find myself bombarded with plastics and resins and wood and paint and glue and readymades and other junk (if of course those things can ultimately be described as junky, that is).

—–

WITH THE HELP OF METALS MAN HAS ESTABLISHED HIS POSITION IN THE WORLD AND HAS TRANSFORMED THE FACE OF THE EARTH. THE CONCORD OF HIS BODILY FUNCTIONS DEPENDS, IN MANY IMPORTANT PROCESSES, ON MARVELOUS METAL-BOURNE EFFECTS. EVERY DECADE OF RESEARCH ACQUAINTS US WITH NEW FACETS OF A COSMOS OF METALS WITHIN US. IN THE WORLD OUTSIDE WE COME AGAIN AND AGAIN UPON NEW DEPOSITS IN EARTH, WHICH ENABLE US TO ADVANCE IN CIVILIZATION; IN THE INNER WORLD OF THE BODY, EVER NEW LAYERS OF ACTIVITIES PERMEATED BY METALS ARE LIFTED INTO OUR CONSCIOUSNESS. WE NOT ONLY BREATHE WITH IRON, BUT WE NEED COPPER TO FORM OUR BLOOD AND COBALT TO ESCAPE PERNICIOUS ANEMIA. AS THE METHODS OF INVESTIGATION BECOME MORE REFINED, WE CONSTANTLY DISCOVER MORE METALS TO BE REGULAR COMPONENTS OF OUR BODIES. WE FIND THEM, HOWEVER, NOT AS BUILDING BLOCKS IN THE GROSSER SENSE, BUT AS INSTRUMENTS BY WHICH OUR HUMAN ENTITY CARRIES OUT SIGNIFICANT PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES. 

…

THE METALS AFFECT MAN NOT ONLY IN HIS BODY BUT ALSO IN HIS CONSCIOUSNESS, IN HIS SOUL AND SPIRIT. THEY SPEAK A LANGUAGE THAT CONVEYS THEIR NATURE MORE IMPRESSIVELY AS THESE EFFECTS MOVE INTO HIGHER SPHERES OF EXISTENCE. WHAT IS A MERE INDISTINCT STAMMERING IN THE REALM OF THE ORGANIC BECOME MORE ARTICULATE AS IT IS TAKEN UP AND UTILIZED BY MORE PERFECT REALMS– THROUGH THE REALM OF THE MERELY LIVING PLANT, INTO THAT OF THE ENSOULED ANIMAL, AND FINALLY INTO THAT OF MAN. FOR THE HIGHER OF BEING RISES AND THE MORE IT IS ABLE TO EXPRESS ITS OWN ESSENCE, THE BETTER IT CAN EXPRESS THE REGIONS OF THE WORLD FROM WHICH IT DERIVES. 

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Current Obsession Magazine Launch at Schmuck 2013

April 23, 2013
everyone, everything, galleries/exhibitions, jewelry (or jewellery), publication links
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Have you seen the new Current Obsession Magazine yet? It’s basically the very first of its kind!!!!!!!!

CO originally existed as a blog about contemporary jewelry and then a website (promoting the field through the voices of the artists) created by the talented, Marina Elenskaya (artist and editor in chief of the magazine). And as of March 2013, CO now also exists as a bi-annual printed magazine that debuted at this year’s Schmuck. Marina and Sarah Mesritz (the creative director of the mag) launched the first issue, The Archetype, in Munich, which was really exciting for me because they invited me to be a contributing writer/editor for the issue.

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Here I am at Schmuck after having my first look inside the magazine. It’s the first time i’ve been published, and in the photo above, the page is opened to my introduction and interview with Karl Fritsch. The segment shows new pieces by the artist that were also exhibited at two Schmuck exhibitions.

Click —–> here for a peak inside.

I also had the pleasure of working with Alexander Blank on another interview about his new series, also exhibited at Schmuck.

Alexander Blank, King of my Blues exhibition

The CO team also asked me to help them create a guide for all the Schmuck events this year to help visitors navigate the city. After having contacted every artist or organizer for all the collateral Schmuck exhibition (for photos and information regarding their event), we tried to create a descriptive teaser, basically CO’s Schmuck 2013 picks, highlighting various initiatives we thought were worth seeing. To see the PDF, click —-> here

from CO Facebook page

Below are some photos of Marina and Sarah giving a presentation at the Messe, where the main Schmuck show was situated.

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To learn more about the wonderful backpack and suitcase by the design team Hanemaai shown above, click —> here!

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Above, Volker Atrops giving some critical feedback to the team, which you should feel free to do also! We are always looking for comments and are eager to hear what you think.

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Marina and contributing editor/husband, Chris van der Kaap at the show, Schmuck You, presented by Galerie Biró Junior and featuring the work of Réka Lorincz and Flora Vági.

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Super babes Marina with artist and friend, Suzanne Beautyman 

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Sarah Mestriz toting around the mag and the guide at the Pinakothek der Moderne.

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Below is artist/researcher/writer, Aaron Decker, another contributing editor of the CO magazine.

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from CO Facebook page

Some team shots, below with superstar, Tanel Veenre

from CO Facebook page

CURRENT OBSESSION 
– is a new printed magazine about jewellery and its relation to different fields of art — performance, illustration, photography, etc. Apart from jewellery artists and critics, we feature material researchers, fashion designers, collagists and many more. Our goal is to create a different dimension for jewellery in printed environment. We tell inspiring stories about people and places, touching upon subjects like value, language and presentation.
Our motto is “JEWELLERY IS WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT “

check it out:  OPEN CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS !

“The second issue of the magazine will be about “The Youth” – students, newly graduates, alumni and up-and-coming artists, keeping in mind that being young is not about the age, but about the attitude!
Release date of the second issue – October 2013 launched in Barcelona JOYA/Amsterdam SIERAAD/Eindhoven DDW.

We have created this open call for contributions because we are searching for:

– Projects that connect jewellery to other fields of art/design/fashion: performance, photography, illustration, audiovisual, collage, sculpture, etc.)
– Research projects: material, formal and theoretical
– Great new jewellery!
– Hardworking writers!

Our goal is to show the diversity and potency of the upcoming generation, to outline their standpoint and tendencies and to address the problems and choices the young makers are subject to.

To contribute or for more information, please email to:
info@current-obsession.com with THE YOUTH as the message subject.

Deadline: beginning of June 2013 “

————–

Check out the CO website to order a physical copy of the first issue.

or, here is the LIST OF RETAILERS :

+Klimt02 BARCELONA
+Galerie Rob Koudijs AMSTERDAM
+Gallery Ra AMSTERDAM
+Athenaeum Nieuwscentrum AMSTERDAM
+Do You Read Me!? BERLIN
+You Are Here EINDHOVEN
+Galerie Noel Guyomarc’h MONTREAL (QUEBEC)
+ ATTA Gallery BANGKOK
+Chrome Yellow Books LONDON
+ Galley P’LACE DRESDEN

OBSESSED WITH CURRENT OBSESSION AT SCHMUCK 2013

March 3, 2013
current events, everyone, everything, jewelry (or jewellery), publication links
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CO

HI EVERYONE! I AM SO PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE (YOU’VE ALL PROBABLY HEARD BY NOW THOUGH) THAT CURRENT OBSESSION IS PROUDLY DEBUTING THEIR NEW MAGAZINE AT THIS YEAR’S SCHMUCK IN MUNICH IN JUST A FEW DAYS. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO WORK WITH THEM TO CREATE A COMPREHENSIVE SCHMUCK GUIDE, SURE TO AID YOUR SCHMUCK EXHIBITION PERUSING! YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE PDF  —->  HERE, BUT IT IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS A PHYSICAL COPY INSIDE THE MAGAZINE. IT’S A LITTLE TEASER OF SORTS TO HELP YOU DECIDE WHAT TO SEE AND WHERE TO GO. I ALSO HAD THE PLEASURE OF WRITING TWO INTERVIEWS FEATURED IN THE MAGAZINE, ONE WITH ALEXANDER BLANK AND THE OTHER WITH KARL FRITSCH. THANKS CO SO MUCH FOR ALLOWING ME TO PARTICIPATE IN SUCH A WONDERFUL PROJECT!!!! BE SURE TO GO TO http://current-obsession.com/ TO LEARN ALL ABOUT THE PROJECT AND TO FIND OUT WHERE YOU CAN GET YOUR OWN COPY OF THE FIRST PRINTED EDITION!!! YES YES YES JEWELRY RULES

below is a thumbnail of the guide!

thumbnail of guide

CO

DO NOT WAIT TO ACT… IF YOU’RE READY

March 11, 2012
art (question mark), everyone, everything, jewelry (or jewellery), semantics
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http://www.gerritrietveldacademie.nl/files/scriptie2011/sieraden/Sieraad_Elenskava.pdf <———- !!!!!

The link above happens to be the biggest golden nugget of a find to date. Ok I didn’t find it, it was sent to me by a new colleague and hopefully a future partner in crime. The link will take you to  the thesis of Marina Elenskaya (founder of Current Obsession), who graduated from the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam last year. She and I have been in contact for a few weeks now, scheming away in hopes for bigger and better dialog and action within our field. If you haven’t yet checked out C-O, please do! There you will find interviews with Manfred Bischoff, work of rising super-start Adam Grinovich and other talented artists, as well as the full interview with Volker Atrops that I previously posted a bit of.

Marina too is a maker, yet her research on the state of the contemporary jewelry world is unlike most of what is out there… there really ain’t a whole lot. She talks about this in the thesis, and like me, she is very much invested in a clearer definition of the field while also questioning that very notion; part of jewelry’s incapability to be defined ultimately is one of it’s most unique qualifiers.

To get you excited, I have pulled out some tidbits! Here is the beginning of her first chapter, IDENTITY:

“Hello, what do you do?”

Status-anxiety is an ongoing issue within the field of applied arts. These tendencies of identity crisis are undoubtedly influencing the discourses in the field of Contemporary Jewellery as well. There is a certain strive for acknowledgment by the art world. But the precise hierarchy of the art world predicts us an unfortunate role of the inferior discipline. The position of an in-betweener is also not comfortable for many. People are trying to define themselves as artists, but it almost feels immodest to say it out loud. Definition has a lot to do with function and destination of the work. It has also to do with function and destination of the work. It has also to do with production, presentation, distribution and, most importantly– pricing. Jewellery wants to be priced as art, and not as craft. It means that the final product is judged upon its conceptual value and innovative thinking, rather than its material value and its quality. 

above is a mind map of Marina’s conceptions in the thesis (YOU KNOW HOW I LOVE A GOOD DIAGRAM).

NEW PAGE: COSMOLOGY

February 21, 2012
everyone, everything, jewelry (or jewellery), semantics, Uncategorized
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Hello,

I have added a new page to the blog! HOORAY  ———————————–CLICK ON IT!

I recently gave a short presentation about my progress at our Fulbright midterm, and some had asked me if I was going to post a version here. Yes, indeed I am. You will now be able to find a newly edited version of the diagram that I posted in a previous entry, broken down so it’s easier to read and hopefully to understand. I’m not quite finished, stay tuned for more bits and pieces. You will find the page above, indicated by the word:

COSMOLOGY.

THE NEW PAGE ATTEMPTS TO ANSWER THIS SEEMINGLY UNANSWERABLE QUESTION:

Please don’t be shy and tell me if you find an error, think I should add someone, or have something to say about the definitions. I want to know what others think and feel and believe ! “Outsider” perspectives are extremely valuable also– those that may think they don’t know anything or feel they ain’t qualified to have an opinion often have the most insightful things to say.

FEEDBACK > NO FEEDBACK

REPRESENT

February 17, 2012
everyone, jewelry (or jewellery)
2 Comments

I just discovered us (RISD grads!) on Art Jewelry Forum! Had no idea we were here. If you look closely, some of us are models for others, myself included. Kendall models for Mariah, Hannah for Marge, Ashley for Zoe, me for Ruth. HOW EXCITING 

Thanks Robyn and/or Tracey for making this happen. Here’s a link to RISD’s profile on AJF where you can also read  bios and see examples of the work of the faculty. Looks great! If you click on the screen shot below it will take you right to the page.

THE COSMOLOGY OF CONTEMPORARY JEWELRY

February 7, 2012
everyone, everything
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As you may have noticed, lately I have become increasingly interested in what artists themselves have to say about the world of contemporary jewelry. After all, they are the ones living in it- making work to then send out into the universe to be collected, admired, worn… understood. I have been reading more and more interviews with makers to try and — I will use the word collect — what I call a breathing definition to construct the cosmology of this field. I call it  breathing due to the complexity and flexibility of my collection, that does not come without exceptions, different interpretations, and of course, the artists’ ever changing direction and intention. As such, just like any living, breathing thing, it has layers and the ability to adapt, to evolve. And above all, I feel the field very much needs this moment of definition, as there is far too much work out there that falls under the guise of contemporary jewelry without passing through a critical eye. We must attempt to sort it all out and proclaim the characteristics that articulate the very nature of the good work in order to elevate it, give it the attention it deserves, and bring it a wider and more intellectual audience.

The following is the way I see things. I have color-coded each artist in order to sort of map who is doing what kind of work, where (the color indicates where the artist was trained; it may not correspond to their birth country). All of the included are living and working today, yet there are countries that I have not yet mentioned so please forgive. (CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO MAKE THEM LARGER)

This is a work in progress (there is room in the diagram!) so tell me if you disagree or  think I need to add things or move them around, or if there are any errors, OR if you know any of the birth  years of the artists that I could not find. Also, I have essentially “rounded” to the nearest category when I decided where to place who. THIS WAS DIFFICULT. If you find yourself and feel you were misplaced, please let me know.

AND SPECIAL THANKS TO THE KLIMT02 SITE FOR BEING SUCH AN INCREDIBLE DATABASE