Gina Nadine Müller. Idar Oberstein University. New Talents Award Nominee 2024
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NewTalentsByKlimt02
Artists
Published: 02.01.2025
Photo by Paul Morris
The 10th edition of the New Talent Award 2024 by Klimt02 aims to recognize the work of graduate students in our field by supporting their careers in the professional world. Nominated by our school members, one of the selected graduates will win the New Talents Award.
I play with contrasts like soft and hard, rough and smooth, flexible and rigid… Pale pink colours evoke expectations of delicacy and sensuality while the haptics and tactility of my work might be unexpected and surprising.
>> Check out all the 2024 New Talents Nominees
Name of graduation student: Gina Nadine Müller
Name of guiding teachers: Theo Smeets and Julia Wild M.A.
Nominated by Hochschule Trier
Gina Nadine Müller's graduation work characterises by an empathic focus on sensuousness and lushness: Jewellery as close to the body and to the human sense of touch as possibly can be – adornment striving to trigger personal memories and generate desires and longing.
During Müller’s Master study she identified porcelain, shell, stone, foam and leather as the materials of her medium, creating a unique language that allows her to explore the concept of sensuousness in body ornament. She refrains of ostentation and superficial bling. With her forms, materials and colours she creates an atmosphere that is at intense, close, personal and intimately evocative - an overwhelming atmosphere. By combining visual softness with unexpected material and surfaces a sensual desire to touch and for exploration is created. Müller’s work is a reminder of special moments and memories we hold dear and cherish.
As the artist states: I play with contrasts like soft and hard, rough and smooth, flexible and rigid… Pale pink colours evoke expectations of delicacy and sensuality while the haptics and tactility of my work might be unexpected and surprising.
Prof. Theo Smeets and Julia Wild M.A.
Statement by the artist:
Second Skin
Jewellery is more than an object—it is a medium connecting individuals, memories, and emotions. Through its interaction with the body and senses, it acts as both a personal and cultural artefact, reflecting identity, desire, and thought.
The research focuses on modern Western contexts, particularly contemporary author's jewellery, examining these complex relationships.
There are four key perspectives in jewellery interaction: the maker, who materializes thoughts and artistic expression through creation; the beholder, whose perception is shaped by visual and potential tactile experiences; the wearer, who develops intimate connections through physical contact and emotional association; and the exhibitor, who contextualizes and mediates between object and audience. These perspectives are not fixed but fluid, with individuals often embodying multiple roles simultaneously.
This framework of shifting perspectives leads to an examination of how form and sensory experience shape interactions with jewellery. Drawing on Semper's classical categorization of ornament types, alongside contemporary jewellers' insights, the analysis explores the dialogue created between physical forms of both jewellery and body.
The interaction with jewellery often stems from a desire to touch, connect, and possess. This "hunger" for touch satisfies fundamental human needs for connection. Kaja Silverman suggests that objects evoke desire through their visual and tactile appearances, engaging both conscious and subconscious associations. Prinz, building on Lacan, notes that visual desire links past emotions and memories to objects. Jewellery acts as a mediator of personal and social desires, creating networks of meaning between object and person.
Jewellery embodies the interplay between physical interaction and materialised thought. As Bodei notes, objects are “traces of human thought,” shaped by concepts and imbued with meaning. Jewellery acts as a language for intimate communication, reflecting its era’s Zeitgeist and the beliefs of its makers and wearers. In curated spaces, such as museums, the arrangement of jewellery influences perception, underscoring its dynamic role in shaping thought and inspiring new perspectives.
Repeated interaction with jewellery integrates it into daily life. This observation illuminates how jewellery operates as a language beyond verbal expression, where gestures of wearing and handling develop into intuitive practices contributing to identity and meaning-making.
The research then considers how jewellery establishes connections and communities through shared memories and experiences. Through examining theories from Mauss regarding gift-giving and Barad's concept of "agential realism," the study analyses how objects become entangled in networks of relationships, with meanings that evolve across time and space.
Throughout the thesis, the author maintains a critical dialogue between theoretical frameworks and practical observations, incorporating perspectives from contemporary jewellers, philosophers, and social theorists. This interdisciplinary approach reveals jewellery as a profound medium for understanding human experience, emotional connection, and social interaction, rather than merely decorative objects.
By exploring jewellery’s dynamic relationships, the author deepened their understanding of its transformative potential, striving to capture the “magical” moments that make jewellery meaningful. This understanding enriches the perception of jewellery as a living connection between people, objects, and their stories.
The research contributes to the broader discourse on material culture and human-object relationships, suggesting that studying jewellery offers valuable insights into how people think, feel, and connect with others through material objects. The author's personal perspective as a maker investigating touch in jewellery adds a practical dimension to the theoretical exploration, demonstrating the potential for further research through direct engagement with wearers and their experiences.
Contact:
Email: hello@gina-nadine-mueller-schmuck.de
Instagram: @ginanadinemueller_schmuck
Find out more about Hochschule Trier
Name of guiding teachers: Theo Smeets and Julia Wild M.A.
Nominated by Hochschule Trier
Gina Nadine Müller's graduation work characterises by an empathic focus on sensuousness and lushness: Jewellery as close to the body and to the human sense of touch as possibly can be – adornment striving to trigger personal memories and generate desires and longing.
During Müller’s Master study she identified porcelain, shell, stone, foam and leather as the materials of her medium, creating a unique language that allows her to explore the concept of sensuousness in body ornament. She refrains of ostentation and superficial bling. With her forms, materials and colours she creates an atmosphere that is at intense, close, personal and intimately evocative - an overwhelming atmosphere. By combining visual softness with unexpected material and surfaces a sensual desire to touch and for exploration is created. Müller’s work is a reminder of special moments and memories we hold dear and cherish.
As the artist states: I play with contrasts like soft and hard, rough and smooth, flexible and rigid… Pale pink colours evoke expectations of delicacy and sensuality while the haptics and tactility of my work might be unexpected and surprising.
Prof. Theo Smeets and Julia Wild M.A.
Statement by the artist:
Second Skin
Jewellery is more than an object—it is a medium connecting individuals, memories, and emotions. Through its interaction with the body and senses, it acts as both a personal and cultural artefact, reflecting identity, desire, and thought.
The research focuses on modern Western contexts, particularly contemporary author's jewellery, examining these complex relationships.
There are four key perspectives in jewellery interaction: the maker, who materializes thoughts and artistic expression through creation; the beholder, whose perception is shaped by visual and potential tactile experiences; the wearer, who develops intimate connections through physical contact and emotional association; and the exhibitor, who contextualizes and mediates between object and audience. These perspectives are not fixed but fluid, with individuals often embodying multiple roles simultaneously.
This framework of shifting perspectives leads to an examination of how form and sensory experience shape interactions with jewellery. Drawing on Semper's classical categorization of ornament types, alongside contemporary jewellers' insights, the analysis explores the dialogue created between physical forms of both jewellery and body.
The interaction with jewellery often stems from a desire to touch, connect, and possess. This "hunger" for touch satisfies fundamental human needs for connection. Kaja Silverman suggests that objects evoke desire through their visual and tactile appearances, engaging both conscious and subconscious associations. Prinz, building on Lacan, notes that visual desire links past emotions and memories to objects. Jewellery acts as a mediator of personal and social desires, creating networks of meaning between object and person.
Jewellery embodies the interplay between physical interaction and materialised thought. As Bodei notes, objects are “traces of human thought,” shaped by concepts and imbued with meaning. Jewellery acts as a language for intimate communication, reflecting its era’s Zeitgeist and the beliefs of its makers and wearers. In curated spaces, such as museums, the arrangement of jewellery influences perception, underscoring its dynamic role in shaping thought and inspiring new perspectives.
Repeated interaction with jewellery integrates it into daily life. This observation illuminates how jewellery operates as a language beyond verbal expression, where gestures of wearing and handling develop into intuitive practices contributing to identity and meaning-making.
The research then considers how jewellery establishes connections and communities through shared memories and experiences. Through examining theories from Mauss regarding gift-giving and Barad's concept of "agential realism," the study analyses how objects become entangled in networks of relationships, with meanings that evolve across time and space.
Throughout the thesis, the author maintains a critical dialogue between theoretical frameworks and practical observations, incorporating perspectives from contemporary jewellers, philosophers, and social theorists. This interdisciplinary approach reveals jewellery as a profound medium for understanding human experience, emotional connection, and social interaction, rather than merely decorative objects.
By exploring jewellery’s dynamic relationships, the author deepened their understanding of its transformative potential, striving to capture the “magical” moments that make jewellery meaningful. This understanding enriches the perception of jewellery as a living connection between people, objects, and their stories.
The research contributes to the broader discourse on material culture and human-object relationships, suggesting that studying jewellery offers valuable insights into how people think, feel, and connect with others through material objects. The author's personal perspective as a maker investigating touch in jewellery adds a practical dimension to the theoretical exploration, demonstrating the potential for further research through direct engagement with wearers and their experiences.
Contact:
Email: hello@gina-nadine-mueller-schmuck.de
Instagram: @ginanadinemueller_schmuck
Find out more about Hochschule Trier
Bangle: Untitled, 2024
Porcelain
7.6 x 6.7 x 6 cm
Photo by: Gina Nadine Müller
From series: Second Skin
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Estimated price: 420 €
Brooch: Untitled, 2024
Porcelain, cosmetic sponge, 14 karat gold, silver, Apoxie clay, epoxy glue
4.5 x 3 x 10 cm
Photo by: Gina Nadine Müller
From series: Second Skin
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Estimated price: 1250 €
Bracelet: Untitled, 2024
Pink conch, medical plastic cast sheet material, leather, silver, silicone glue, epoxy glue
5.5 x 11 x 8 cm
Photo by: Gina Nadine Müller, Paul Morris
From series: Second Skin
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Ring: Untitled, 2024
Jesmonite, ink, acrylic paint
3.5 x 4 x 4 cm
Photo by: Gina Nadine Müller
From series: Second Skin
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Estimated price: 260 €
Brooch: Untitled, 2024
Jesmonite, cosmetic sponge, silver, acrylic paint
3.5 x 3.3 x 6 cm
Photo by: Gina Nadine Müller
From series: Second Skin
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Estimated price: 420 €
Photo by Paul Morris
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