Storytelling Jewellery

Storytelling is simply fascinating, yet if you are a passionate lover of this practice you are naturally taken to wonder how much a tale is altered by the way different narrators recount it.

Artist and jewellery designer Hanna Hedman decided to explore further this issue in her latest collection, analysing at the same time the borders between reality and fantasy, truth and lie.

The result of this process was “What you tell is not always what you have experienced”, a series of kinetic necklaces made in silver, copper and synthetic fibres.

Some of Hedman’s works look as if they had been assembled with random bits and pieces of Medieval armours, others seem to be built with strange parts of machines or to hide in their metallic swirls, nets and cage-like structures secret esoteric symbols.

Hedman has come a long way since making her first jewellery ring: she started studying jewellery in 1999 while living in the USA, improved her technique in New Zealand, and took her MFA in jewellery art and silversmithing from Konstfack, the University College of Arts Crafts and Design in Stockholm. In a way she feels more like an artist than a designer since all her pieces are absolutely unique.

At present Hedman is planning a solo exhibition in Sweden while getting ready to take part in several art events around the world: she is one of the artists and jewellery makers from Latin American and Europe selected to take part in “Walking the Gray Area”, a blog focusing on global mobility, identities and contemporary jewellery, linked with an exhibition that will take place in Mexico City in April 2010.

Question: Your pieces look like unique art works, do you conceive them as wearable pieces of art?
Hanna Hedman: All my pieces are one offs and unique. I do conceive my pieces of jewellery as wearable art. The wearability is important to me as I reference historical jewellery and the body in my work. I would say that the jewellery art scene is very small in comparison to the fashion art scene, but I wish it will grow and be accepted as art and not just a craft. There is a lot of interesting jewellery that questions conventions and brings light to current subjects.

Q: In your latest collection you used a lot of metal, what fascinates you about this material?
Hanna Hedman: Everything! I love how a sheet of metal has so many possibilities and can look so different depending on how you choose to handle the material. I am also very interested in trying to use old silversmithing techniques in contemporary ways. I have worked a lot with other materials in the past. I don’t limit myself just to metal, but, after working for a few years with less conventional materials, I felt I wanted to go back to metal again. I find it interesting to challenge material values. I don’t treat the silver in a conventional way. I try to make each material my own by not being afraid or feel limited by its social value or traditions. For example, I worked with the fish eyes using them like pearls and with fish scales sewing them on as sequins.

Q: Is there a contemporary jewellery designer you particularly like?
Hanna Hedman: I like a lot of different artists for different reasons style/personality/techniques/ideas, but I can’t just name one. I like all those artists who have their own unique style and challenge conventional views on jewellery.

Q: There is often a strange dichotomy in your work: it’s beautiful yet at times it’s also disturbing. Do you feel that your pieces can be used as discussion points and stir people’s consciences somehow?
Hanna Hedman: Beauty may be seen as vain, but I find it interesting to contrast beauty with the unpleasant, the serious and the not-so-nice. Yet also the sad and disgusting can be beautiful. I use beauty to get the viewers' attention, but there is so much more that I would like to convey other than beauty. Human weaknesses and underlying defense mechanisms are often themes that recur in my work. A lot of my
projects work as personal therapy and I hope the visitors to my exhibitions leave with something else in their hearts rather than just thinking they saw some beautiful works.

Q: You recently did a few exhibitions in Sweden and the USA, what kind of feedback did you receive?
Hanna Hedman: I have got a lot of positive feedback. My latest series of work is very new and hasn’t been shown in many places yet, but my previous collection touched a lot of people around the world and it has motivated me to keep producing good work. Every comment is treasured and I love getting e-mails from people saw my work and can relate to it and feel a connection with the main themes behind it.

Q: How many collections do you design every year?
Hanna Hedman: I only make one major collection every year since my pieces are made by hand using very time-consuming techniques. I also make smaller series, one-offs and pieces for joint exhibitions or commissions. I don’t manufacture anything industrially other than the powder coated paint. I design and handcraft all my pieces by myself. I find poetry in the time-consuming making that contradicts so much in our society today and I would really miss that aspect if I went on to manufacture in other ways. I also love the long history of jewellery and jewellery techniques and the durability metal has.

Q: Do you have any special future projects? Are you going to take part in any exhibitions this Autumn/Winter?
Hanna Hedman: I am planning a solo exhibition here in Sweden to present my latest work and I will take part in several projects and exhibitions around the world. I am one of 40 artists and jewellery makers from Latin American and Europe that are currently carrying out a dialogue about global mobility, identities and contemporary jewellery. The dialogue will result in an exhibition that will be presented in Mexico City, April 2010.

Hanna Hedman’s pieces are available via her site, from Platina Gallery in Stockholm, Ornamentum Gallery in the USA and Jubilee in Japan.

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