Earth's Corporeality: Jewelry as a Medium of Organic Memory. A lecture by Kristýna Španihelová

Its central theme is the exploration of the material nature of organic substances—such as bones, blood, milk, skin, hair, wood, and feathers—with particular attention given to locally sourced materials whose transience, corporeality, and biological memory carry both ethical and symbolic dimensions.

Working with these materials involves a confrontation with their very essence: their natural origin, their processes of decay and disappearance, and their capacity to evoke both discomfort and reverence. The lecture questions whether our perception of jewelry as mere adornment is sufficient to encompass this living and mutable matter, and demonstrates how the intrinsic nature of the material gives rise to ethical tensions between artistic intention and public perception.

Furthermore, the lecture reflects on the ways in which local organic materials can contribute to greater sensitivity toward natural resources, environmental awareness, and the cultivation of an empathetic relationship with matter. Its aim is to stimulate discussion about the conscious selection of materials and their potential to enrich the language of contemporary author jewelry through layered meanings and through confrontation with fundamental questions of human existence.

The lecture will be in Czech.
Date & Hour: Monday, 22nd June 2026 at 10:00, room number 135 at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava.