My piece ‘Message in the Corals: I. Sea. You.’ has been awarded the First Prize at Aqua, Ambra, Aquila Kotka Maritime Festival International Jewelry Competition 2024! The city of Kotka, the Maritime Centre Vellamo and the Kotka Maritime festival organized a sea-themed jewelry competition in cooperation with the Finnish Goldsmiths’ Association and the Finnish Clock and Jewelry Museum.
Aqua, Ambra, Aquila
The competition emphasizes on sustainability, with recommendation to the use of recycled and ethically produced materials. The competition had two stages: the first was the planning, where participants present their plans as pictures or designs in proposals, and the second stage, in which the jury team selected 10 finalists who would then realize the pieces. All the completed entries were then sent for direct evaluation by the jury.
Several aspects are important in the evaluation, such as the uniqueness of the projects, the artistry, the implementation and how the subject has been seen in a new way in the jewelry context.
The theme this year is: ”The sea giveth, the sea taketh” and participants can express ‘the story told by the sea’ through jewelry.
My entry
“Message in the Corals: I. Sea. You.” is a ring series, inspired by the serious environmental situations in our oceans.
Corals in the oceans are losing colors due to stress from environmental changes. Each ring in my ring series portrays a seabed with corals. The ring bands are handsculpted to resemble seabed surfaces, using recycled silver Art Clay, manufactured by Aida Chemical Industries Co.,Ltd., a recycling company specialized in recycling and refining precious metals. From each ring band, paper sculptures emerge. These sculptures are handcrafted from waste paper and pigmented to depict colorful corals.
Unseen beneath the vibrant appearance, I intentionally use non-permanent pigments, which means continuous exposure to unfavorable conditions could eventually wash the colors away, rendering the coral bleaching phenomenon.
While at first the rings visuals may catch the attention of the audience, it is the hidden message that I hope would further awaken thoughts, ignite discussions, and inspire positive actions, through the story of ‘The sea and its message in the corals’: “Listen to the message in the corals. It is more about you, than it is about me.”
Here is the jury’s comment about my entry, in Finnish and English:
”Astari Swatantrin työllä I.Sea.You. jossa hän on pirteän leikkisällä otteella onnistunut kuvaamaan merellistä maailmaa ja tietoisilla materiaalivalinnoillaan myös ottanut kantaa meren tilaan ja sen haavoittuvuuteen helposti ymmärrettävällä visuaalisella tavalla.”
”A perky and playful approach to picture the maritime life under the surface. With a conscious choice of recycled materials, the pieces picture the state of the sea and its vulnerability in a visually comprehensive way.”
My gratitude to the organizers and the jury team: Terhi Pietiläinen, Museum director, Kymenlaakso museum, Mirkka Kallio, Curator, Kymenlaakso museum, Harri Syrjänen, Master goldsmith, and Ritva Kara, jewelry artist, Henrik Kihlman, executive director of the Finnish Goldsmiths’ Association, as the secretary of the jury and thank you NSG for the prize!
Exhibition(s)
The prize award ceremony took place at the Ruuma gallery in Kotka at the Maritime Centre Vellamo on Wednesday 26th of June and the final works are displayed in the exhibition until 28th of July 2024. There will be a second exhibition for Aqua Ambra Aquila finalist entries in 2025 at Finnish Clock and Jewelry Museum. I will write any updates here on my website.
Thank you
I would like to thank everyone who has supported me along the way, my family, friends, and colleagues. Congratulations to everyone involved in this wonderful event!
SVVA Jewels Newsletter
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