Cosmic Debris: Meteorites and Jewellery Objects by Reinhold Ziegler

In his work, Reinhold Ziegler (born in 1965) explores the meaning of jewellery. Through the reduction of visual forms of expression, his works go beyond the connotation of purely decorative attributes. His jewellery objects are not intended to reflect the individual personality of the wearer, but to link the individual with the universal.

While gravity was the theme of an earlier series of works, a universal and all-embracing natural force that exists independently of the will of an individual, Ziegler’s current works revolve around meteorites. They are an unusual material, originating from beyond the horizon of human experience, thereby lending themselves to reflections about nearness and distance. Proximity to the body is a significant aspect of jewellery.

In this publication, Halvor Nordby addresses Ziegler’s artistic practice from philosophical and therefore fundamentally aesthetic points of view, exemplified by his meteorite works. In a discussion with Reinhold Ziegler, André Gali touches on the discussion started in Aftermath of Art Jewellery about art historical and ritual aspects of his works.

Text in Norwegian as a download.

About the author

Halvor Nordby is professor at the Department of Education, Health Management and Health Economics, University College of Lillehammer and at the Institute of Health and Society at the University of Oslo.

André Gali is a Norwegian art critic, photographer, essayist and journalist. He is the editor in chief of KUNSTforum.