Multiples for Body and Soul
Borusan Art Gallery is introducing a new series of multiples, conceived by prominent contemporary artists, architects, designers, illustrators, poets and produced by reknown jewellery designers. We named this collection "Multiples for Body and Soul" related to the traditional and contemporary function and meaning of jewellery.
Basically jewellery is an ornament or embellishment used and demanded for adornment of various parts of the human body either to charm the other or to protect the bearer from mysterious powers or evil eye. In this sense jewellery is an object of desire and superstition. With its earlier forms as needles and fibulae to fasten the clothes and as amulets for protection as well as later forms worn as ornaments both by men and women given shape by using different techniques such as casting, engraving, filigree and granulation of gold, silver, iron and copper with inlaid precious and semi-precious stones, jewellery should be evaluated as an extension of the body. An extension which intends to communicate with the other for a symbolic elevation of the self or as a means of self-realization.
Jewellery in its more complicated and elaborate forms as necklaces, diadems, bracelets, brooches, anklets, belts, rings, earripgs, hotse trappings, torques worn by Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Hellenistic, Etruscan and Roman sovereigns reflected the religious and stately power, arousing unsurpassed admiration and respect of the subjects. In a deeper sense the glitter and the sparkle of jewellery is supposed to blind the eyes of the subject and give him a delirious mind. From the beginnings to the establishment of monotheic religions jewellery was also an essential element of burial customs. Thus as a symbol of immortality jewellery is an object of blasphemy. No marvel that during the Middle Ages, jewellery was mainly con- fined to the treasury of the church and the workshops of gold- smiths were located in the religious buildings and the production was made for the embellishment of the religious statues. However, the sovereigns continued to have their priviledge as jewellery owners, There was always the other face of jewellery making and jewellery wearing which escaped the official and religious aspect of its utilization. The humankind always believed in dark forces and let his/her superstitious urges and longings pleased and contented with magic and prophylactic objects. There were jewellery made of unusual, repellent or scary materials such as bones, teeth, horns, or skulls as well as lockets filled with poison.
On the other hand as the making and trading of jewellery is as old as the Stone Age, it should be considered as an essential element of materialism and object of exchange. As a currency jewellery is not only made but also destroyed by melting in order to cover the deficits of a state treasury. During the Renaissance jewellery making was linked to the art of painting or to the high art for the first time. Painters like Albrecht Durer, Sandro Botticelli and Hans Holbein Jr. designed jewellery and prepared pattern books. Since than this link between high art and jewellery design prevailed and found its more significant evolution at the end of 20th century. The basic features and notions of jewellery making and wearing did not change in the 20th century, except that after the invention of the electro-metallurgy process, jewellery making became jewellery industry and business. Gem cutting factories, jewellery and silverware manufacturers, watchmakers, manufacturers of imitation gems and pearls, costume jewellery manufacturer and worldwide jewellery markets satisfy the needs of the today's jewellery consumer. Within the mass-production of real and fake or custom jewellery a new elite of jewellery makers appeared. On the expensive end there are the international companies, so called the great houses such as Bulgari, Van Cleff Arpels, Cartier, Boucheron, T'tffany, Garrard, Harry Winston, De Beers which invite young or established designers to create new forms and styles. In accordance with this super-luxury and sometimes thoroughly included into it; jewellery designers set the trends. Introduced by Scandinavia since the fifties individual jewellery design referring to the modern and post-modern art movements and trends and exploiting experimental advances flourished on both expensive and cheap ends. On the cheap end, the fake-jewellery production takes two courses; one of which is the ever present kitsch and the other is camp, that is trendy kitsch, Evidently, as the real-art has significantly influenced industrial design during the first half of the century, it has been quite receptive to modify its concepts according to the new machinery, the ready-made of Duchamp being its most striking example.
Since the end of avantgardism a phenomena presented itself in which an enormous and uncontrollable production of pseudo-art exists side by side with real-art. Postmodern art, architecture and design sought ways of dealing with this problem by utilizing and re-shaping the traditional and the trivial to overcome the dichotomy of Modernism.
Beral Madra
December 1999
Basically jewellery is an ornament or embellishment used and demanded for adornment of various parts of the human body either to charm the other or to protect the bearer from mysterious powers or evil eye. In this sense jewellery is an object of desire and superstition. With its earlier forms as needles and fibulae to fasten the clothes and as amulets for protection as well as later forms worn as ornaments both by men and women given shape by using different techniques such as casting, engraving, filigree and granulation of gold, silver, iron and copper with inlaid precious and semi-precious stones, jewellery should be evaluated as an extension of the body. An extension which intends to communicate with the other for a symbolic elevation of the self or as a means of self-realization.
Jewellery in its more complicated and elaborate forms as necklaces, diadems, bracelets, brooches, anklets, belts, rings, earripgs, hotse trappings, torques worn by Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Hellenistic, Etruscan and Roman sovereigns reflected the religious and stately power, arousing unsurpassed admiration and respect of the subjects. In a deeper sense the glitter and the sparkle of jewellery is supposed to blind the eyes of the subject and give him a delirious mind. From the beginnings to the establishment of monotheic religions jewellery was also an essential element of burial customs. Thus as a symbol of immortality jewellery is an object of blasphemy. No marvel that during the Middle Ages, jewellery was mainly con- fined to the treasury of the church and the workshops of gold- smiths were located in the religious buildings and the production was made for the embellishment of the religious statues. However, the sovereigns continued to have their priviledge as jewellery owners, There was always the other face of jewellery making and jewellery wearing which escaped the official and religious aspect of its utilization. The humankind always believed in dark forces and let his/her superstitious urges and longings pleased and contented with magic and prophylactic objects. There were jewellery made of unusual, repellent or scary materials such as bones, teeth, horns, or skulls as well as lockets filled with poison.
On the other hand as the making and trading of jewellery is as old as the Stone Age, it should be considered as an essential element of materialism and object of exchange. As a currency jewellery is not only made but also destroyed by melting in order to cover the deficits of a state treasury. During the Renaissance jewellery making was linked to the art of painting or to the high art for the first time. Painters like Albrecht Durer, Sandro Botticelli and Hans Holbein Jr. designed jewellery and prepared pattern books. Since than this link between high art and jewellery design prevailed and found its more significant evolution at the end of 20th century. The basic features and notions of jewellery making and wearing did not change in the 20th century, except that after the invention of the electro-metallurgy process, jewellery making became jewellery industry and business. Gem cutting factories, jewellery and silverware manufacturers, watchmakers, manufacturers of imitation gems and pearls, costume jewellery manufacturer and worldwide jewellery markets satisfy the needs of the today's jewellery consumer. Within the mass-production of real and fake or custom jewellery a new elite of jewellery makers appeared. On the expensive end there are the international companies, so called the great houses such as Bulgari, Van Cleff Arpels, Cartier, Boucheron, T'tffany, Garrard, Harry Winston, De Beers which invite young or established designers to create new forms and styles. In accordance with this super-luxury and sometimes thoroughly included into it; jewellery designers set the trends. Introduced by Scandinavia since the fifties individual jewellery design referring to the modern and post-modern art movements and trends and exploiting experimental advances flourished on both expensive and cheap ends. On the cheap end, the fake-jewellery production takes two courses; one of which is the ever present kitsch and the other is camp, that is trendy kitsch, Evidently, as the real-art has significantly influenced industrial design during the first half of the century, it has been quite receptive to modify its concepts according to the new machinery, the ready-made of Duchamp being its most striking example.
Since the end of avantgardism a phenomena presented itself in which an enormous and uncontrollable production of pseudo-art exists side by side with real-art. Postmodern art, architecture and design sought ways of dealing with this problem by utilizing and re-shaping the traditional and the trivial to overcome the dichotomy of Modernism.
Beral Madra
December 1999
