I am a jeweller. I have a commercial and an artistic practice. This body of work is part of my artistic practice. In my art works, I often express myself via current issues. It is social and environmental concerns that fuel my research, superimposed on philosophical concepts; the fullness / emptiness, the impermanence of things for example.
I use materials promoting a smaller environmental footprint, without neglecting the aesthetics of the jewel. The chosen materials are usually natural (wood, salt, wax) and recycled or found objects (plastic, metals, fabrics). I do not hesitate to use friable or ephemeral materials in some of my works. I favour a project approach; each piece uses materials that are not necessarily related to jewellery.
I instinctively approach the material using techniques from jewellery, and precious metals are not excluded. I create without constraint, the process is often for me more important than the final result. The jewel becomes work of expression.
My project in contemporary jewellery consists of a stay in Spain for about 80 days, where I took part into two artistic residences. The first part of the project consisted of one month in the Canary Islands, on La Gomera island (Casa Tagumerche). I chose the wild environment of the Canary Islands because the islands in general have fragile ecological cycles, and are threatened by man. To complete this research the second part was another month in Castilblanco, (Airgentum).
I constrained myself with really basics tools to work with (pliers, saw, files, hand drill, soldering iron, hammer, emery paper), and copper (wire in La Gomera, then sheet in Castilblanco). No torch, neither flex shaft. The other materials I used (basalt, cement, spray paint) were mostly in the residencies. Having ecological concerns, my project When Nature Takes Back is about nature re-appropriating human beings. The objective is to work mainly with local natural materials. The elements of my work have a weak ecological footprint, they amplify my environmental words and, as mentioned, have a relationship with specific places (eg: salt, cork, beeswax, volcanic stone, etc.). Found objects will also take part in the creations. The jewellery created can be fragile, but handleable and portable.
