LECTURES
On Sand: unpacking preciousness is a one-year research project which questions - through the Symbiocene as an overarching theoretical and practical framework - what the role of jewellery and treasured objects could be, in the age of re-learning interdependence with living and non-living beings.
In a 2022 UNEP report on sand and sustainability, sand is reported to become scarce as it is the second most used resource, besides water, on earth. It is present in every building, road, window and screen we use daily. As abundant as it seems, it is predicted to become scarce due to overconsumption by industrial use.
In Saskia Van der Gucht’s artistic practice, the metonymy of packaging and preciousness, jewellery boxes being a well known example, becomes a means to question and visualise how the finitude of this raw material is underestimated on the one hand and could serve as a precedent for future care on the other.
Saskia Van der Gucht is a visual artist, researcher and teacher based in Antwerp.Her work deals with the complexities and ecologies of emotional and economic value of materials and the feeling of home. Through a combination of references to jewellery and architecture, she translates these subjects into objects, small installations, photography and drawing. In 2014 she obtained an MA in Jewellery Design at Sint Lucas Antwerp. Since 2019 she has been teaching the theory course ‘Art & design in the anthropocene’. From 2017 to 2022 she was a teacher at the jewellery department, both at Sint Lucas Antwerp.
About Parts and wholes is a presentation of the metalwork and artistic research of David Huycke, with a focus on his innovative approach to granulation in larger silverware and on the use of the sphere as a pictorial symbol.
David Huycke is a visual artist who explores a variety of media, but is best known for his innovative approach to metalwork, more specifically the use of granulation in larger sculptural silver objects.
Huyckes work balances on the edge of figuration and abstraction. Drawing inspiration from cosmic themes, he delves into the poetic essence of natural and universal phenomena, aiming to convey a profound awareness of the world around us. David Huycke is a jury member for this second Brussels Jewellery Week edition.
WORKSHOP
Yuxi Lu - Visual artist & Jewellery designer
WHAT ARE URBAN PATTERNS ?
Workshop for children at ABC HUIS
‘What Are Urban Patterns?' is a creative children's workshop that intertwines the realms of art and science, revolving around the theme ‘PARTICLE[S]’ of BJW 2024. The workshop introduces an approach that inspires children to delve into the unnoticeable living aspects embedded within often-overlooked urban waste. Exploring the value of recycled material and thinking outside the box about the functionality of jewelry. Through engaging hands-on activities, children experience the unconventional process of culturing microorganisms within a Petri dish, providing an opportunity to witness the fascinating microbiological urban patterns growing out of discarded items. Through this multidisciplinary learning, the workshop aspires to raise children's awareness of the magical particle world we live in, nurturing a generation that values sustainability and actively contributes to more eco-conscious ways of creating.
