Our presentation during the research week gives an insight into the research process on sand.
Creating an environment on how we work, this installation is made up of different components: text, readings, material samples, experiments and objects.
Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles consisting of loose grains between 2 and 0.0625 millimeters. It is a seemingly abundant resource which is mined worldwide and processed into structural materials such as concrete, glass and silicones which are used in microelectronics and as components in the food and pharmaceutical industries. After air and water, sand is the most utilized natural resource on earth. It is present in every structure, road, window, and screen we use daily. As abundant as it seems, it is predicted to become scarce due to overconsumption by industrial use. The ecological and economic consequences of overmining often result in illegal activities and local geographic conflicts.
As researchers in the artistic field, we chose to work with sand - for its apparent finitude and therefore preciousness - and develop processes and objects that zoom into these qualities.
What if sand is in fact an extremely valuable material?
How does the production of jewellery, tied to the ownership of land, materials and data, contribute to the Anthropocene, environmental exploitation and climate emergency?
Jewellery, Matter, Time: Hard Data, Soft Stories focuses on the impact of different genres of jewellery production on the environment. As a result of globalised capitalism of materials, it has become harder to trace how materials are sourced, processed, and how communities and the environment pay costs for commodified materials made available for global markets. In the context of the Anthropocene, overconsumption and overproduction asks us – artists and designers – to situate our jewellery practices within the undefined relationships between material flows and their data, land of production and ownership. In this research hard data is defined as facts, soft stories are defined as meaningful connections between these facts, crafted into object stories through the artistic practices of Saskia Van der Gucht and Irma Földényi.
Jewellery, as a critical medium, becomes a tool to think with. If jewellery can tell stories, which stories can they tell about their impact in the age of the Anthropocene?
Image: Fieldwork for sand probes at Kattendijkdok-Oostkaai, september 2022 - Saskia Van der Gucht
In our current project Saskia Van der Gucht and Irma Földényi are building on the research of ‘Jewellery, Matter, Time – Materials in the Anthropocene’ by Irma Földényi and Liesbet Bussche, which investigated how precious materials are becoming extinct as a result of human activities on earth. There we have developed a visual essay on how artificial diamonds are becoming a new form of natural stone and concluded that growth time is speeded up, materials have no rights, jewellers are not part enough of public debates on material issues and the industry is not fully transparent on the true costs – among others.
Therefore in ‘Jewellery, Matter, Time – True Cost of a Jewel’ we will focus on the social contexts of man-made precious materials – contexts such as production, makers, traders, curators, collectors, wearers – to trace true cost, and the renewed meaning of material usage. We will follow one material from production contexts to the wearers context.
Furthermore, even though these are challenging times we are looking forward to find new ways of connecting with people, deepening our understanding and extending the contexts of jewellery by engaging with professionals from different fields within arts and design who are dealing with various questions relevant to the Anthropocene.
Photo: Grassberg Mine, Central Papua, Indonesia. (collage of google earth 2D screenshots, March 2021)
This research project, conducted by Liesbet Bussche and Irma Földényi, rethinks the position of the jewellery designer in the Anthropocene through artistic research into his/her material use and work context. Starting point is the area of tension between natural, traditionally valuable materials that cause irreparable damage to the earth during exploitation and artificially produced materials, which can serve as valid alternatives at first sight. The compilation of a material library, discussions with experts and field trips to industrial sites lead to critical findings on valuation and significance of matter, and are made public in a scenographic presentation and article. The second part of the research project focuses on the artistic creation of a jewellery-related object in the context of the material. The unusual methodology for the jewellery designer of the inverted workshop that transforms a material-related context to a production context offers insights for the redefinition of the work context of the jewellery designer and the relevance of jewellery within the theme of the Anthropocene.
Photo: First synthetic diamond crystals produced by H. Tracy Hall on December 16, 1954
Studio sieraad and research platform Precious Dialogue cordially invite you to the lecture of Marge Monko on Tuesday 27 November at 19:00 (Sint-Jozefstraat 35, Antwerp).
Marge Monko explores artistically how media like photography, text and moving images are used as tools by public institutions or private companies in their ways of communication. She employs methods like documenting, staging and appropriating, linked to influences of psychoanalysis, feminism and theories of visual culture. In her latest work ‘Stones Against Diamonds, Diamonds Against Stones’ curated by Belgian art historian Evelien Bracke, Monko takes the approach of world-leading diamond company De Beers as a case study to explore the phenomenon of desire.
Photo: Karel Koplimets - Marge Monko. An installation view of the exhibition 'Stones Against Diamonds, Diamonds Against Stones'. Tallinn City Gallery, 2018
In this masterclass by Tallinn-based artist Marge Monko, masterstudents of St Lucas Antwerp and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp will explore and work on ways of communicating affection.
On 8 November 2018 at Sieraad Art Fair, researchers Liesbet Bussche and Hilde Van der Heyden gave a lecture about 'From Walter to Astrid'. This exhibition presented jewellery from researchers, designers and students of Studio sieraad made with chains of Walter Fischer, one of the world's largest manufacturers of industrially produced chains. Being a part of research project Speaking Jewellery, 'From Walter to Astrid' explored the concept of jewelleryness: Which artistic qualities such as wearability, shininess or detailing, turn an object into a piece of jewellery and are specific to this field?
Studio sieraad en onderzoeksplatform Precious Dialogue nodigen u van harte uit op de presentatie van ‘From Walter to Astrid’ tijdens Sieraad Art Fair in Amsterdam.
Van 8 tot en met 11 november tonen studenten, onderzoekers en ontwerpers – op uitnodiging van organisatoren Astrid Berens en Maarten Bodt – sieraden die ze hebben gemaakt met kettingen van Walter Fischer.
A project by Studio sieraad and research platform Precious Dialogue of St Lucas School of Arts Antwerp, in cooperation with Walter Fischer GmbH & Co. KG
During the opening weekend of the new Antwerp diamond museum DIVA, students of Studio sieraad and the research platform Precious Dialogue of St Lucas School of Arts Antwerp present 'From Walter to DIVA'. In a walking exhibition, they show jewellery made with chains of Walter Fischer, one of the largest manufacturers in the world of industrially produced chains.
Work: 'Phantom Brilliant', Hilde Van der Heyden, 2018
You are cordially invited to the lecture of Mah Rana, organised by the Jewellery Design department and Precious Dialogue research platform of St Lucas School of Arts Antwerp.
When? Tuesday 27 February 2018 at 19h Where? St Lucas Antwerp, Sint-Jozefstraat 35, 2018 Antwerp
Free entrance!
London-based artist, curator and writer Mah Rana will present her body of work and art practice in which human relationships, narratives, memory recall and loss, and material and experiential processes are central. In this lecture, Mah Rana will give extra attention to her approach of public participation in an artistic context being the subject of the masterclass ‘People Skills’ she gives to master’s students of St Lucas School of Arts and The Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp.
Interested to participate in the masterclass ‘People Skills’ by Mah Rana? Apply now!
‘People Skills:
The Transition of Creative Practice from Private to Public’
26 February – 2 March 2018
The aim of the masterclass ‘People Skills’ supervised by artist Mah Rana is to provide participants an intense work period wherein the discursive and practical doing and making are intertwined, to further develop and emphasize research competences. The masterclass is a possibility to broaden and deepen artistic projects, and interact and peer-learn with designers and artists coming from different disciplines.
We were pleased to welcome so many visitors at the opening of From Walter to Valerie. The opening of this research exhibition took place on 8 February 2018 at Valerie Traan Gallery in Antwerp.
We were pleased to welcome so many visitors at the opening of From Walter to Valerie. The opening of this research exhibition took place on 8 February 2018 at Valerie Traan Gallery in Antwerp.
Flo De Nyn, Nele De Vrij, Daniela Piano, Tieke Scheerlinck, Ruby Solon, Marit Staes, Lore Van Duppen, Djara Van Hove and Cleo Van Woensel are the students of St Lucas School of Arts Antwerp who are participating in 'From Walter to Valerie'. Click here for more information on their projects.
Liesbet Bussche, Pia Clauwaert and Hilde Van der Heyden are the researchers of St Lucas School of Arts Antwerp who are participating in 'From Walter to Valerie'. Click here for more information on their projects.
Silke Fleischer is one of the participants in 'From Walter to Valerie'. Click here for more information on her project Still Point, Free Movement & Restriction.
Sofie Boons is one of the participants in 'From Walter to Valerie'. Click here for more information on her project Chain Unit, Links and Necklace Ruler.
Benedikt Fischer and Benedikt Fischer are one of the participants in 'From Walter to Valerie'. Click here to read more on their project The Chain Project.
Conversation Piece (Beatrice Brovia and Nicolas Cheng) is one of the participants in 'From Walter to Valerie'. Click here for more information on their project In the Cut.
From Walter to Valerie
24 jewellery designers explore industrially manufactured chains
A cooperation between the Jewellery Design department of St Lucas School of Arts Antwerp, Walter Fischer GmbH & Co. KG and Valerie Traan Gallery
Opening: Thursday 8 February 2018, 16:00 until till 21:00 Exhibition: 9 February until 17 March 2018 Location: Valerie Traan Gallery, Reyndersstraat 12, 2000 Antwerpen
Photo: Charlotte Van de Velde, Pieces of Luck, 2017
Graphic design: Erik Desombere
Presentation of the work students have made with and around the chains of Walter Fischer, guided by Hilde De Decker, Hilde Van der Heyden and Max Gielis.
Participants: Cleo Van Woensel, Daniela Piano, Djara Van Hove, Flo De Nyn, Lore Van Duppen, Marit Staes, Nele De Vrij, Ruby Solon and Tieke Scheerlinck
De kettingreactie is een project waarin studenten van de afstudeerrichting Juweelontwerp|Edelsmeedkunst een sieraad, gemaakt met of gebaseerd op de ketting, gefotografeerd hebben in een twee- en driedimensionale omgeving. Het vertrekpunt van beide kettingreacties was het sieraad geplaatst op een witte sokkel of achtergrond, de meest stereotype presentatievorm voor sieraden. Op dit uitgangspunt reageerden ze door telkens een papier, foto of tekening (2D) en een rekwisiet of accessoire (3D) toe te voegen, tot ze in totaal tien stappen doorlopen hadden. Uit beide reeksen van tien foto’s tonen de studenten in deze publicatie de interessantste resultaten.
The students of the Jewellery Design department cordially invite you to the bachelor exhibition of St Lucas Antwerp. On Friday 30 June, Saturday 1 July and Sunday 2 July, projects of the third year bachelor students of the Jewellery Design, Graphic Design and Fine Arts department will be on show as well as an overview of first and second year student work. The Jewellery Design department will present the results of the chain project of the second semester. Hope to see you at Campus Congres!
Opening hours
Friday 30 June, from 18u00 till 22u00 (vernissage)
Saturday 1 July & Sunday 2 July, from 14u00 till 18u00
Address
St Lucas School of Arts Antwerp, Campus Congres, Kerkstraat 45, 2060 Antwerpen
Pictures of the exhibition 'Your Eyes Burn Like Wild Fire' curated by Jan Van Woensel. With work of students and alumni of the Jewellery Design department of St Lucas School of Arts Antwerp.
We kindly invite you for the VONK exhibition 'Your eyes burn like wild fire' in Genk, curated by Jan van Woensel. In this exhibition, work of students made in the context of the research project 'Speaking Jewellery', will be presented. Over forty link chains, composed of daily objects, form an installation that reveals the qualities of the chain as an undervalued piece of jewellery.
When?
Wednesday May 24th, from 18:30 > OPENING
Thursday May 25th until Sunday May 28th, 13.00-17.00
Where?
Regina Mundi klooster, Kloosterhof 2, 3600 Genk
Photo: Overview of presentation on the Open Day of St Lucas
Nienke Postma studeerde in 2004 af aan de afstudeerrichting Juweelontwerp|Edelsmeedkunst van Sint Lucas Antwerpen. Vier jaar later richtte ze samen met Jojanneke Postma en Debbie van Berkel het collectief KASBOEK op. Dit interdisciplinaire samenwerkingsverband ontwikkelt voornamelijk projecten rond 'waarde' waarbij de dialoog met het publiek en de locatie het uitgangspunt is. In de serie Alumni Talks interviewt onderzoeker Pia Clauwaert haar over haar rijkgevulde artistieke praktijk en vraagt haar naar tips voor jonge ontwerpers.
Between 13 and 17 February 2017, Nicolas Cheng and Beatrice Brovia – aka Conversation Piece – gave the Mining Materialities masterclass at St Lucas Antwerp.
The duration and impact of artefacts, how things are sourced, made and eventually become waste, how materials we work with carry complex histories with them, are at the centre of the masterclass’ investigations. We will ‘mine’ our histories and surroundings, explore our relationship as consumers and makers of objects, and propose ways to problematize materials, their origins, the way they are sourced and the narratives that artefacts and materialities carry along with them, way past or independent from our intentions.
We kindly invite you to the lecture of Conversation Piece (Nicolas Cheng & Beatrice Brovia) on Tuesday February 14th at 19.00 (Sint-Jozefstraat 35, 2018 Antwerp).
Conversation Piece is a collaborative research practice based in Stockholm, Sweden, initiated in 2011 by Beatrice Brovia and Nicolas Cheng, with a strong focus on material culture and contemporary craft. They develop projects across scales and media, blurring the line between ‘fine’ and ‘applied’ art, with work that ranges from installations and interiors to conceptually – driven jewellery and decorative arts.
Steven de Jaeger studeerde tien jaar geleden af aan Sint Lucas Antwerpen als juweelontwerper. We zijn benieuwd hoe hij de afgelopen tien jaar ervaren heeft en hoe hij zijn toekomst ziet.
Charlotte Haentjens studeerde af in 2007 aan de afdeling Juweelontwerp. Daarnaast volgde ze ook een opleiding Goudsmeden aan de Antwerpse Nijverheidschool, behaalde dan een master culturele studies (KUL) met stage bij Design Vlaanderen en een lerarenopleiding met stage bij Sint Lucas Antwerpen. Ze is altijd juwelen blijven maken, naast haar werk als creatief coördinator bij een kinderdagverblijf. Samen met oud-student Annelies Weinberger stelde ze onlangs tentoon in Gent met EXPO-OH! Haar laatste collectie vertrekt vanuit de geometrische zeshoek, een referentie aan de raatstructuur van bijen.
On 4, 5 and 6 March 2016 a party was organized in Antwerp’s Stadsfeestzaal for the launch of the brand-new Antwerp Research Institute for the Arts (ARIA) that was set up by the University of Antwerp and the three art schools (KASKA, KCA and St Lucas Antwerp).
The Dutch twin brothers Nhat-Vu Dang and Dang-Vu Dang were invited to give a workshop on presentation and branding. Nhat-Vu studied jewellery design at the Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam before leaving for Berlin, where he worked among others at Comme des Garçons. His graduation project, ‘Momentary Jewellery’, drew attention in the world of contemporary jewellery. He is now represented by Galerie Rob Koudijs (Amsterdam).
From 7 to 11 December 2015, Naomi Filmer gave a master class in the context of ‘Speaking Jewellery’, the current research project of the Jewellery Design department of St Lucas Antwerp. The workshop was inspired by Boris Charmatz’s performance 'Manger' (French for ‘to eat’). Whether when talking or eating, attention focuses on the mouth, which thereby becomes a source of associations and sensations. Naomi Filmer challenged participants to get to work on this subject.
‘In short the mouth is so radically connected to both language and the body, desire and the other, as to provide an extremely pertinent education on what it means to be – and to create oneself as – a subject.’ (Brandon LaBelle)
During the Antwerp edition of Triple Parade, the Jewellery Design department of St Lucas Antwerp organized a jewellery tour for the foreign guests of Triple Parade, the students and professors of the department. Different visits and encounters gave the participants a look into the diversity of the Belgian jewellery.
Triple Parade Antwerp at Gallery Zijsprong (Mechelsesteenweg 119B, 2018 Antwerp), from Thursday 10 till Sunday 13 December (15h-19h).
Designers Belgium: Sofie Boons, Liesbet Bussche, Hilde De Decker, Malvine Marichal, Shana Teugels and Charlotte Van de Velde. Designers Finland: Helena Falkenberg, Matti Mattsson, Anna-Reetta Pitkänen, Jenni Rutonen, Anna-Reetta Väänänen and Susanna Yläranta. Designers China: Jichang Chai, Shu Liang, Xiao Liu, Studio 1-1 (Danyi Zhu & Yuan Tian), Jie Sun, Xiaoyu Zhang and Dongdong Zhuang.
For the third and last episode of Triple Parade, St Lucas Antwerp focused on the encounters emerging from this tripartite event. This journey resulted not only in personal contacts, but also in an interesting dialogue between different works and styles. Triple Parade searched for different archetypes in the world of jewellery. This journey took place both within the individual countries as across the geographical boundaries.
You are kindly invited to the lecture given by Naomi Filmer on Tuesday 8 December at 19:00 (Sint-Jozefstraat 35, 2018 Antwerp). Naomi Filmer (UK) is walking the path of wearable objects. Her objects are related to the body as much as to space. She studied 3D design and completed a master’s in jewellery design and goldsmithing. Besides her own artistic practice, Naomi Filmer works as a researcher and teacher at Central St Martins (BA Jewellery Design) and the London College of Fashion (MA Fashion Artefact)b - both are part of UAL in London.
The Belgian gathering, also the last stop of Triple Parade 2015, is celebrated during the TRIPLE PARADE PARTY on Wednesday 9 December. You are most welcome to celebrate with us!
Wednesday 9 December (18h-21h)
Zijsprong, Mechelsesteenweg 119B, 2018 Antwerp
From this day on, the exhibition will be open from Thursday 10 till Sunday 13 December (14h-19h)
The Jewellery Design department of St Lucas School of Arts Antwerp invites you to TRIPLE PARADE ANTWERP, a dialogue across China, Finland and Belgium on contemporary jewellery. The exhibition, earlier on show in Tianjin (China) and Kuopio (Finland), will be presented at Gallery Zijsprong and shows work of 19 Chinese, Finnish and Belgian jewellery designers.
From Thursday 10 till Sunday 13 December (14h-19h)
Gallery Zijsprong, Mechelsesteenweg 119B, 2018 Antwerp
Liesbet Bussche, researcher at the Jewellery Design department, led the workshop ‘FIN-ject’ during the Finnish edition of Triple Parade. For two days, participants worked on the Finnish quintessence of an object. Next to the exhibition and the workshop, she gave a lecture during a one-day seminar.
After the well received Triple Parade event in Tianjin/China, the Triple Parade exhibition will be shown in Kuopio/Finland. The Jewellery Design department of St Lucas School of Arts Antwerp will be represented by six Belgian designers: Sofie Boons, Liesbet Bussche, Hilde De Decker, Malvine Marichal, Shana Teugels and Charlotte Van de Velde. The works of the Belgian participants will be exhibited at the Kuopion Museo from 2 till 31 October 2015, alongside the works of six Chinese and six Finnish jewellery designers.
The Jewellery Design department of St Lucas School of Arts Antwerp invites you to participate in the workshop MOUTH by Naomi Filmer. The workshop takes place from 7 December to 11 December 2015 at Campus Congres (Kerkstraat 45) in Antwerp.
'Last spring I saw a Boris Charmatz performance in London titled ‘Manger’. The piece was focused on the mouth, consumption, sensation, communication, expression, looking also at the relationship of fingers with the mouth in the act of eating - making a choreography of the mouth itself. While watching the performance I considered the research subject at St Lucas Antwerp this year, ‘Speaking jewellery’. The physical action of speaking brings attention to the mouth, and the mouth brings our attention to an abundance of associations and sensation.'
Speaking Jewellery is the latest research project of the Jewellery Design department of St Lucas Antwerp. Students, lecturers and researchers here explore the communicative qualities of the contemporary jewel. The ‘power of speech’ of a jewel lies hidden in and among all the references that it carries with it. These references make the jewel readable and ensure that it attracts people, from a statement on the catwalk to an atmospheric attribute in a film, from a royal symbol to a magic grave relic.