Author: Katrin Dussan

Fred and her favorite piece of jewelry

Posted on by Katrin Dussan

The design researcher Fred Meier – Menzel wears a very special ring on this picture, which belongs to her since 1993. It is a very large ring, a Shiite prayer ring reserved for men in the Arab world. But Fred did not know all that when she saw this ring for the first time.

She discovered it in an antique shop in Bangkok. She noticed the powerful strength that emanates from this ring from the very beginning. “A patriarch’s ring,“ she thought at his sight. For a long time crept around the display where the ring was exposed, tried it on, looked at it, and finally left the shop without it. At that time, she simply could not afford? such a luxury. Later her friend returned to the antique shop and gave her this ring as a present during her stay in Thailand.

The ring is so special for Fred, because it is a kind of friendship ring. Continue reading “Fred and her favorite piece of jewelry” →

Angelika Wolpert: Metalsmith, Jewelry Designer, Artist

Posted on by Katrin Dussan

On a rainy Friday, the 10th of November, I went to Kreuzberg towards the gallery of goldsmith and ethnologist Martina Dempf to listen to a lecture by Angelika Wolpert, as part of the exhibition “Made in Kreuzberg”, where a Photographer and five jewelry artists give an insight into their work.

Angelika Wolpert is a goldsmith, jewelry designer and artist. In her lecture she leads unpretentiously and approachable through her artistic work. She retrospectively looks back on her career and explains how she – although being a goldsmith – started to work with metal and ended up working with paper.
At the beginning of her career as a metalsmith Wolpert works with hollow bodies, which is the first indication that her work will move towards sculpture in the future. “I just did not want to do tin cans any more”, she describes her strong urge to work with a material that can be sculpted plastically. So she began to work with Pappmaschée, then she makes paper, which she painted first and then later mixed with color pigments. The result is a body of works that can be seen as gems as well as sculptures. Playfully she moves between larger sculptures and pieces of jewelry. She still likes the small format of the jewelry.

Continue reading “Angelika Wolpert: Metalsmith, Jewelry Designer, Artist” →

Let me die like a mexican!

Posted on by Katrin Dussan

In Mexico – where I lived for a long time – there is a very special tradition of dealing with death, which fascinated me from the beginning on. The family of the deceased arranges once a year, on the days of the dead, the „Dias de los Muertos“, a kind of memorial altar at home on which all things that the beloved person has liked during lifetime are arranged: good food, music or a certain sport. A sugar skull with the name of the deceased is lovingly placed on it. These skulls are colorful and pretty to look at and by no means frightening or scary.

Continue reading “Let me die like a mexican!” →

Sandra’s favorite jewel

Posted on by Katrin Dussan

This is my friend Sandra in a beach basket on Sylt in January. I asked her to wear her favorite piece of jewelry and tell me something about this jewel, particularly why it is so special for her.
Sandra made this ring herself in a goldsmith’s workshop in Frankfurt am Main. Therefore this ring is so special for her: she made it herself and she has become aware of the extensive work process that is hidden behind a handmade piece of jewelry. In addition, she developed the design together with the goldsmith and chose the stone. The appreciation that she brings toward this piece of jewelery goes so far that she only wears it on special occasions. It is, so to speak, her festive ring. I can understand her very well: I am a goldsmith myself, and I know how many hours of work are hidden behind a handmade piece of jewelry.