Georgina Contel. La Industrial Art School. Selected Graduate 2016

La Industrial Art School, Higher Degree of Artistic Jewelry, Barcelona, Spain.

Georgina Contel - The women in my life

This project is inspired by Louise Bourgeois’ “Femme Maison”, pieces that show heads and bodies of nude female figures that have been replaced by architectural forms such as buildings and houses. She wanted to show the abolition of identify for women in home and family, and as a result they become houses. Following her line, my project is partially based in her work but my women are not subjugated to the house as they are their own house.

Bachelard said: 
Because the house is our first universe, it is a cosmos in every sense of the word. It is the first world of the human existence, so the apartment was the expression of man himself that live in...

My women have their own stories and experiences, as we can find that their houses are different - both shape, size and material- in them we can identify features of their personality and experiences that they’ve had. To show that, I have used diverse materials such as lead, methacrylate, silver, gold or porcelain.
Holding these head-houses we have body shaped bases, all the same with no particular form to define them; merely that body created by my hands in order to  show what really matters: bodies are just ‘that thing’ that moves us but the real you is made of what you have in your head.

My women are called Antonia, Candida, Núria, Mercè, Mariana, Cloe and Cristina, they are the women in my life. Not all the women in it but the closest of my family. They have always been pillars in my life, work and art, that’s why I wanted to make this little tribute.
The entire project has been produced by me, from the creation of the bronze melt bases to the welding of the lead plates, the methacrylate perforation, and the production of the book or the photographies as well.
As a result of my studies as an artist and jewelry maker I wanted to include everything that I have learned along my life as a student in this project.

Georgina Contel, Barcelona,1989. Studied Fine Arts in UB (University of Barcelona) specialized in photography and melting, before her Artistic Jewelry studies. Semifinalist at ENJOIA’T, FAD Contemporary jewelry award, October 8th 2015 - Student category.