Article / MAKE ME party in the newspaper

Idar-Oberstein. At the beginning of the 1970s the philosopher Wolfgang Fritz Haug developed the concept of Gebrauchswertversprechen (utility value promise) in his much-debated work Kritik der Warenästhetik (Critique of Commodity Aesthetics). According to Haug, in capitalism, every good on top of its mere function obtains an illusory nature, for example by means of its laborious package, a special image or a seductive brand name. This illusory nature makes a promise to the potential buyer that, in the end, it will not keep.
Now what about the visitors of the exhibition in the Oberstein Villa Bengel; were they also fooled by such a promise? Whereas one would expect a presentation of jewellery in this place and on this occasion, the guests had to settle for an announcement by Willi Lindemann that was both full-bodied and cryptical at the same time.
‘This is more than an exhibition’, murmured the curator of Idar-Oberstein schmückt sich of which this presentation by the Afterschool group from Antwerp University College of Art & Design St Lucas’ jewellery design department is a part. ‘It is a work of art in its own right and a theoretical examination of art at the same time.’ It is, according to Lindemann, the result of two years of arduous research work by the Belgian university college graduates.

‘At first it will all remain a secret’, Pia Clauwaert announced following Lindemann’s address. However, the group spokeswoman made a firm pledge that the benevolent spectator would find out more in about half an hour. Jewellery professor Theo Smeets too, did not get any more specific in his welcoming address; he merely underlined the importance of research projects like the present one and of the international collaboration between colleges of art.
Initially, the only things to be seen were some old Stones and Kinks records, an even older cheap record player to which no aficionado would ever expose his or her precious vinyl, and some inflatable sitting accommodations made of transparent plastic that were obviously well past their best days. Still, the exhibition slogan ‘MAKE ME party’, that is part of a whole series of ‘MAKE ME’-projects initiated by Afterschool, was honoured in that abundant quantities of food and beverages were offered: wines, sparkling wines, juices, mineral water, crisps, chocolates, yes; even tinned tuna could be spotted on the buffet – not always of the best quality, but in great amounts.
Then the moment of truth had arrived: ‘This is an exhibition in the form of a party’, Pia Clauwaert disclosed after the proper amount of waiting time. Jewellery has an influence on daily life and is used to seduce people into buying things. It was not until then that it started to dawn on most of the visitors that that which they had been eating and drinking the whole time – or in fact the names and the packages of the products – were actually part of the exhibition. There were the sparkling wines, of which the brand names were pimped with ‘gold’ or ‘brilliant’ and the mineral water that was promoted as having the clarity of diamonds. From juice to beer all possible beverages adorned themselves with a crown, or the appropriate adjective ‘noble’. Moreover, there were nibbles that looked like precious little pearls.
On their quest for gold, silver, platinum, diamonds, emeralds, crystals, pearls, crowns and jewellery in the supermarket shelves, the Afterschool members had struck it rich. Even detergents (Platin), steel wool (Diamant) and bin liners (Rubin) adorn themselves with attributes from the realm of jewellery and noble materials. A moist toilet tissues brand called Onyx doubtlessly takes the biscuit.

‘Sometimes these names are inspired by the colours or the forms of the products’, Pia Clauwaert explains in an interview with our newspaper. ‘However, most of the time it is about the symbolic meaning, the associations and positive connotations that are connected to Jewellery, gems and noble metals.’ Often this is not restricted to the names, but rather extends to the product presentation iconography. In the end it is all about improving sales figures.
However, the members of the Afterschool group, Clarisse Bruynbroeck, Shana Teugels, Liesbet Bussche, Hilde Van der Heyden und Hilde De Decker, only create author jewellery, which as a rule consciously avoids the use of such classical noble materials or at least evades the association with high value aspects. ‘Because of this reason, our jewellery does not sell very well’, the designer concludes. The theoretical approach that becomes manifest in this exhibition allows for a new take on the general discourse, Pia Clauwaert believes, convinced to have conducted theoretical pioneering work.
If and how an exhibition will be developed from the happening ‘MAKE ME Party’, as it was originally planned, is not certain at the moment. ‘In order to create an exhibition starting from this, we would have to process the whole thing a bit more’, professor Smeets explains, who was also surprised by the nature of the presentation. ‘For that, some more material from Belgium would have to arrive, which would enable us to provide the right substantial setting for the exhibits’.