“My work is not of the domestic or pretty variety,” states Switzerland-based artist Gabriela Felgenträger. She uses unconventional materials, such as these ceramic shards that she has repurposed as rings, to encourage the wearer to think more about what they consider jewelry and what can be worn.
“For me,” she states, “a ring is more than a ‘hole’ for the finger. A brooch is more than a pretty accessory. These body objects have their own place and space. Whether you wear them or take them off – they lead to associations.”
Finding worth in cast-off items seems to be a theme of Felgenträger’s work. In 1997 she participated in the Useless Things exhibition at the Tallinn Triennial of Applied Art in Estonia. In a review of the show, writer Lea Pruuli wrote that Felgenträger made ornaments from such items as scrap metal, a broken cogwheel, a bolt, and a cylinder. These she “united with silver and (so) the things meant for destruction have acquired new meaning and new life,” Pruuli stated.
Above image: Shard jewelry by Gabriela Felgenträger. Courtesy of the designer.
Shard jewelry by Gabriela Felgenträger. Images courtesy of the designer.
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