7 | NEW COLLECTION & the up | torn | diaries
Finally, after much time spent thinking, designing, making, photographing, writing and uploading, here it is online: the new petite collection of eroded, luminous 18 carat gold with ombré shades of tapered diamonds arranged like parts of the spinning wheel of time we are all so used to on our screens.
Indeed, time and memory are the two concepts behind this collection: Each piece is a memento, on the one hand spanning the aeons inherent in the precious materials of gold and diamonds but firmly anchored to the recent present by showcasing the marks of the making process. Encompassing such a long timeline, the jewels cannot but stand as a quiet tribute to the hands and places that gave birth to their materials. We wear them in gratitude and in the knowledge that we will add our own inadvertent marks over time, as will those who inherit them. The already recycled gold is imminently repurposable in the future, and will remain a precious treasure for generations to come.
On the other hand and on a quieter, autobiographical level, each piece is dedicated to an often bygone place of cultural or personal significance by way of three letter coordinates. You can find these in a discrete section above the description of each piece on the website. Many of these buildings and institutions that shaped Berlin’s spirit have been polished from the city to create a homogenous, even, uniform surface (I struggle to keep my soap box and the term ‘gentrification’ tightly folded away).
In 1989, the fall of the Berlin Wall had created unparalleled access to abandoned spaces where humans could revel in music, art and the freedom to discover their identities. Obsessed with the signs of the buildings’ previous identities, I was among the many who explored disused warehouses, underground and power stations, vaults, shops and houses, and debated and danced the nights away amid ex DDR interior and industrial machinery.
My designs are therefore the result of an intense fascination with the impressions of time and history on the human-made environment. While Berlin has undergone much change since, some museums and galleries have sought to honour the past alongside recent renovations to preserve collective and individual memory. I pursue similar aims with each of my precious raw jewels. A Denkmal* in the German tradition, aims not only to encourage reflection about the past but also to inform future action, namely more sustainable and conscious practices in the creation of jewellery as well as an awareness of the need for preservation of cultural grassroots spaces to support human flourishing.
The new collection has emerged from my ongoing up | torn | diaries project: To replace some of the memories lost in the destruction of my copious (and mostly terribly repetitive) notes from the 1990s, the three letter coordinates have served me as reflection prompts to recapture some long buried memories of places across Berlin. Flyers, photographs and letters from that time add to the layers, as will interviews with other Berliners. Memories are always subjective, and only the kaleidoscope of many will create patterns. So do share your own: On Instagram or by contacting me here. I look forward to adding to the kaleidoscope.