Ruudt Peters: Look Now

A jewellery course by Ruudt Peters, assistant Ineke Heerkens

After the successes of the last years, this year Ruudt Peters is beginning his workshop under the title look now. Peters is connected as professor at Ädellab, Konstfack University College of art, craft and design in Sweden. Through Opere he follows up his teaching with a private programme intended for students or graduates of art academies and artists/designers who seek to deepen their work. Every year an international group of jewellery makers participate in his workshops.

Theme

In look now we will investigate the creative progress of observing. look is one of the most important sources of design. If you can’t observe the world around you, it’s impossible to transform this into a new view.
During the workshop, by means of assignments we will explore, accept and exploit this view. If we accept observing and see it as a source of energy, the hindering structures disappear and a freedom to think and act arises. look now seeks a different answer to what jewellery can mean to us as jewellery makers.
During the workshop the participants will be stimulated to take an explicit standpoint on how they can deal with the medium of jewellery nowadays: Artists and students will be stimulated to produce work around this theme. In this it is important that the subconscious should be allowed into the work process alongside rational considerations. Ultimately jewellery remains the frame of reference.

The look now workshop will be held in the summer atelier in the southern Netherlands, an environment far away from the big Dutch cities. The course is built on step-by-step education in which the end product is not the most important goal. “The goal is the means and the means is the goal” (M. Gandhi). The emphasis lies on personal guidance and development. The participants are given the tools with which to continue this process on their own. By means of direct action people learn to take steps. During the course the group will cook together, and group discussions on the work will be held during the meals.-2016-2016