Ceramic Jewellery

A central theme in Gésine Hackenberg’s work is placing ordinary objects of use in the perspective of jewellery. On the one hand she brings about a new interpretation of the object by changing the context. On the other hand she often gives objects a new life by transforming them. In a way she is continuously reusing and recycling material. She consciously isolates the various layers of meanings and associations that inhere shape, patterns and material of an object in order to take these values on in her jewellery.
Whereas she focuses on the concept of restoration in the Double Life collection, she plays with deconstruction and reconstruction in the Ceramic Jewellery series. Her original approach results in strong conceptual work; her incredibly refined technique may easily be overlooked.
During the time Gésine was working on the Double Life collection, she developed the technique of drilling pieces out of earthenware, a material that is widespread in the Netherlands and its neighbouring countries. Within the Ceramic Jewellery collection, she perfects this technique which offers a whole universe of shapes, found in plates, dishes, and pudding moulds. These disc-shaped ‘beads’ are firmly threaded to – almost object-like - necklaces, or pieced on (ear)rings, and brooches. The ‘raw material’ was left fragile, with lace-like patterns in it to go along with the piece of jewellery.
While using the same technique, in this series each work is a one-off, because it’s made out of a unique antique item of earthenware.