Interview with Iris Saar Isaacs

Do you think that jewellery is being standardized? 
There is certainly a lot of repetition, predictable, ‘standard’ jewellery all around, but that is where we, contemporary jewellers, introduce new aesthetics, materials, methods and concepts to question the ‘standard’ and seek an alternative languge to adornment. 

What is there of local and universal in your artistic work? 
My work does not relate to a place but rather to a genre, style or aesthetics, that is usually associated with German/ Scandinavian aesthetics, rather than relate it to where I live. With travel and the Internet at our fingertips, the world is a small place where international influences affect us both conceptually and aesthetically. Our immediate environment is no longer physical, but rather cognitive. 

What do you expect when exposing your work to the public (for example with an exhibition)? 
When I show my work, either sculptures or jewelry, I ultimately hope for people to ‘get it’ and appreciate it. 
I enjoy observing others relate and respond to my work through touch, and play while interacting with the piece… appreciating scale, weight, feel, color, shape, and surface. 

I consider my jewelry to be a ‘bridge’, where I introduce contemporary jewelry to the public by using non-precious materials, and industrial based production methods to produce elegant and well resolved pieces, which hopefully they can relate to. 

It takes a while for new concepts and aesthetics to penetrate and be absorbed, but gradually acceptance and understanding of contemporary jewelry is growing. 

Are other areas besides the jewellery, present in your work? 
Very much so… I am a graphic designer, a sculptor and a jeweller, so my design process is computer based and the thought process is always three diamentional. 

The idea starts with pen and paper, then explored and manipulated on the computer, once I resolve the design, scale, and mechanism… I than make paper marquettes and models to fine-tune the piece. 

The last work, book, film, that has moved me was... 
One of my all time favorite books is ‘the art of looking sideways’ by Alan Fletcher, I like to go back to it every now and then and explore new ways of looking… Another inspirational book I enjoyed recently was ‘It’s not about the bike’ by Lance Armstrong – inspirational reading. Some of my all time favorite films are: Chocolat, The Usual Suspects, The Ghost Writer, The notebook, Primal fear… 

A place, space, country whose creativity surprises me... 
No creativity surprises me, some fascinates and attracts me, but it does not surprise me. 

is there any designer, jeweller, artist, you appreciate a lot? 
Lots… where do I start? The ones that come to mind immediately are: 
Richard Serra – amazing sculptures large scale graceful curves 
Issey Miyake - known for his technology-driven clothing designs that are timeless and does not follow the fashion; it is graphic and simple shapes, colors, textures. Very innovative thinker. 
Matthew Johnson – an Australian painter who I love the dreamy style of his work. 

What piece or work has given you the most satisfaction? 
I love working with glass and love making sculptures, I consider them to be pure indulgence … I love the way light travels through cast glass; I enjoy its murky transparency and organic texture; its weight and fragility it embodies. 
The last glass/ metal sculpture I made was ‘MEMORY’, a cast glass box, which encases a metal drawer. It is gilded on the inside and black on the outside, symbolises our aging memories that often seem golden in retrospect.