IRONS is what I call my research on wrought iron. If chains are
indeed fetters, the double meaning (in French «fers/irons»
indicates both iron, the material per se and iron chains), leads
us to reflect upon the very nature of jewelery. Weapons, chains,
jewelry are all linked to the same myths and the same chtonien
aspects, those of the « god-smiths ». From Vulcain and his anvil
to chained Prometheus with his iron ring, wrought iron jewelry
can be seen as a radical way of
imagining ornaments, as
pure, rough jewels.
TRAP is what I call my wrought iron bracelets that resemble
wolf traps, made of two iron arches with sharp, articulated
claws that sometimes open and sometimes close. They are
jaws, dentures or mouths worn on the arm. They absorb us,
eat us or suck us. By the mere act of putting on these
bracelets, our hand is gobbled down, devoured, an extremity
of the human body is captured. The trap becomes an iron
chain, the piece of jewelry becomes a handcuff.
From clay models to the wrought iron cast, the technique
employed can be summed up as follows:
« How to transpose flabby colored forms into hard, black iron jewelry? »
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