Manon van Kouswijk
Jeweller
Published: 01.11.2007
Statement
I like to think that it's possible to reinvent jewellery, despite the fact that its archetypal forms and motifs haven't fundamentally changed throughout its long history. These archetypes to me are like templates that I use for translations of the jewellery types I work from (for example the beaded necklace). I explore the visual and conceptual potential of these existing jewellery forms and motifs and translate them through a range of materials, processes, and ideas.The traces of the making process are often visible in the work. The imperfection of the handmade, present in marks of fingerprints and moulds, is an integral part of the objects.
While originating from a conceptual approach to making at the same time my works embrace the sensual qualities of jewellery objects in the use of colour, their weight, sound, rhythm, and material expression.
An integral aspect of my practice is the framing and contextualising of the work through the making of exhibitions and artist publications often in collaboration with other artists and designers. My artist books feature found and made photographs and drawings to trace and reimagine the presence of jewellery and other personal possessions in private settings, in museums, and in popular culture.
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