Oddities of rotten elements are a subject I've been exploring since my studies at the Royal Academy of Antwerp.
The Ode collection is a continuation of this research, where I bring goldsmith's craftsmanship to art pieces, with a great sense of detail for fashion and design.
_
I see this collection as a celebration of life and time passing.
I confront the common aesthetic with beauty sublimated by asymmetry, incomplete forms and ruptures. Harmony and wisdom lie in natural simplicity and spontaneity.
Not in the absence of imperfections.
I enhance this approach with baroque pearls and textures from dead dried plants cast in 18-carat gold. Delicate, clumsy, subtle curves are in endless competition with so-called 'perfect' shapes such as circles, lines and the rigour of chain links. These contrasts became my self-expression mode, and paradoxically evoke timeless pieces of jewellery.
Most of them are playful and become more interesting by being worn as an assemble. Each earring is made to be worn asymmetrically. The necklace clasps are handmade and are designed to feature as an aesthetic element while being easy to open and close. The rings and bracelets can be worn as a stack.
_
It's an ode to love, a gentle reminder for taking care of ourselves. To accept the traces time has left on our bodies.
Photographer: Lineta Liduma
MUA & Hair: Sanne Schoofs
Model: Nikol Linova