Designer Blogs: Ieva Zekeviciute
On May 22nd of 2021, I had an opportunity to present my interpretation of the topic “Metamorphosis”.
As a jewellery designer and philologist – I found a wide platform to communicate the message, use my knowledge about crafting, design and also incorporate the literaturical context in it. In classical Ancient literature Ovid wrote an amazing and inspiring text “Metamorphosis” where the main message was that people can change but identity and essence stay. This topic is wide and could have many interpretations but for the writers it was and it is one of the main topics to talk about. Kafka also took the same topic and gave surrealistic (and metaphorical) insight about that – that shapes could change but identity stays. Shape changes – is one of the main things that is happening in the “Metamorphosis” collection. All jewellery pieces in the collection are different and unique. They can easily become an inspiration for new ones and this process could be endless.
Talking about the background for a collection, I have to say that pandemic also left a mark in the collection too. These last 2020 and the first half of the 2021 year were very different from previous ones. We as humans had to go through “Metamorphosis” ourselves. In this last year, we learn how to live with new reality, restrictions, and uncertainty. We had to adjust and find new ways to set up our daily lives, live or say goodbye to our beloved ones, discover our new unseen personality corners. This year was a huge challenge for our personalities and a difficult test. This definitely showed some new things which you did not know about yourself: some good, and maybe some scary ones. One personality could grow and others maybe did not pass the test.
Metamorphosis for me also has a second meaning – it is my personal changes and development. When I came to Copenhagen I did not know what kind of adventure was going to happen. I was only coming for a week (I thought so) and now, two years later, I am standing at displays and presenting where I got inspiration from my jewellery pieces. This exhibition was a personal achievement and reward for hard work and believing that everything will be fine.
This exhibition could not happen without goldsmith Hjalmar Hjalmarsson – a great mentor and inspiration. I know that my jewellery pieces were inspired by the classical Hjalmar Hjalmarsson gold jewellery line. I was inspired by the possibilities of craftsmanship and metal forming by hand. I liked that classic gold jewellery can have a twist and be more interesting. I tried in the Metamorphosis collection to challenge myself and connect metal pieces that are hard to connect. From Hjalmar, I learned a lot about metal, but the most important thing – I got the inspiration for my mindset – to see possibilities and take a chance to use them.
I would call my collaboration with goldsmith Hjalmar Hjalmarsson a journey and this 5-month journey was a real Metamorphosis for me – I am glad that the collection “Metamorphosis” can be marked in history and I hope this will be also an inspiration for others.
Shapes changes – identity stays.
