It is just jewellery by Jente Fleerackers

Bracelet / OnBody Design Conceptual ArtworksFeaturedbyKlimt02

Published: 10.11.2023

A Wedding ring without its symbolism is just a decorative piece of gold.
What is the purpose of jewellery apart from the social constructs or meanings that we give to them? Jewellery (most of the time) doesn’t really serve a practical goal. What if utilitarian objects, who do have a functional purpose, are changed in their form to no longer serve this functionality and are placed on the body? Do we then end up with jewellery as if we are closing a circle of thoughts?
Intrigued by the boundaries between utilitarian objects and jewellery I started analysing functional objects from my daily life. When stripped from (or altered in) their practical characteristics, are they then just jewellery? Or do these objects transform into something new? A walking cane gets attached to the ear, a place where jewellery is normally worn, but doesn’t really change into a jewellery piece. It becomes an impossible object. From a shirt only the cuffs remain and get transformed into metal. The ‘shirt’ no longer serves to dress or to protect, it looses its practical value but becomes a decorative element.
Changing functionalities results in objects that negate or confirm the act of wearing.