Resilience, you can't be without it
Make the world a better place, starts with yourself. Based on that idea, I try to do what I can to help the environment. The shards of a lamp, that unfortunately fell into pieces, didn't become waste but turned into material. Out of a large shard, I ground ovals, which I processed into a necklace. The square brass wire used has been drawn from brass rods I found at a construction site.
The title refers to the resilience, one needs in life to deal with the challenges on life's journey. It, therefore, fits well with the theme of a jewellery contest about how to cope with Covid-19. This January, I emailed photos along with a resume and additional information. I was delighted to be informed that my necklace has been selected for physical evaluation by the competition jury. For shipment to Italy, I made a box from a leftover plywood board. I made the hinges and the closure out of strips of leather. I regularly need pieces of leather to prevent the jaws of my vice from damaging workpieces for example. So I save the shafts of my broken boots. The fine leather from the inside of a boot has now come in very handy for the necklaces box.
Meanwhile my necklace and box are back in Maastricht. Regrettably, my necklace didn't make it in the selection for the exhibition. I will leave the stickers on the box put on in Italy. They provide me with the resilience to try again next time. For now, I take it as a compliment the necklace was among the works of artists I admire very much.