Modern technology and the digital does not play a role in my work. I am a jewellery dinosaur. Interview with Dempf Martina by Klimt02

Tell us about your background. What were your first influences to be creative and become an artist and what has drawn you to contemporary jewellery?
The artistic expression in different cultures of the world has captured my attention from an early age. With my parents and siblings, I had the chance to visit museums and exhibitions that inspired me to be creative myself. I always desired to take up an artistic profession. When I got the chance to study jewellery design with Prof. Reinhold Reiling at the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Pforzheim, contemporary jewellery became my passion.


How important is networking for you in your professional practice and what are your preferred tools for this?
Networking is an essential part of professional artistic practice. Not only with regards to marketing and sales but also meeting other artists, gallerists, students, jewellery lovers and customers is inspiring and leads to wonderful exchange and friendship. Even after forty years of art practice, I gain knowledge and inspiration from my still-growing network. I prefer personal exchange at exhibitions, fairs, workshops and lectures, but I also appreciate the potential of social media and online connections. My ever-growing network has led to a considerable number of invitations to conferences and workshops.


What are your general thoughts on the contemporary jewellery world, (education, market, development...), where do you see chances and where are dead ends?
Since my studies in the 70s, the jewellery community has grown immensely and has become international around the globe. Through today's media, we are speedy and easily connected, which is a challenge at the same time when it comes to the production and sales of hand-crafted work. For jewellers in countries with a sophisticated education system, access to the international jewellery community and markets is easier, while elsewhere artists struggle hard to become visible and get support. I hope key institutions and governments will put more emphasis and support into these regions.


Thinking about your career, what role do technology and the digital play in your artistic development & communication?
Modern technology and the digital does not play a role in my work. I am a jewellery dinosaur.


How has your work changed over the past few years and what are you excited about these days?
My work has always been interwoven with my second profession as an anthropologist. It has deepened my understanding of other people’s lives, culture and artistic expression, especially in jewellery practice and body art. Through intensive contact with cultures that still live much closer to and more respectful of natural conditions than the modern city dweller, nature also becomes the centre of design and artistic statement for me, often in combination with narrative elements.