The prizes awarded in the seniors category are thought-provoking, as they have little to do with traditional jewellery making: a few works that young creators were inspired by the theme. Spring with amber cheerfully, resembling a puzzle made of colourful jelly sweets straight out of a TV advert, and it's hard to discern goldsmithing techniques at a respectable artisan level. Is it possible that craftsmanship, the stronghold of traditional goldsmithing values, is also subject to an unrestrained process of impoverishment? „Let's not judge it so critically. Let's remember that these are juniors, people taking their first steps in the profession,” says Karol Kowalski, co-creator of the competition. He attributes this to the imperfections of the vocational training system, which provides too few practical hours, as well as the reluctance of master goldsmiths to dedicate time to apprentices: „In the past, a good master wanted to pass on the secrets of the trade; today, most of them don't even want to talk about it, claiming it's not worth it. So how can we encourage young people to learn the craft? That's why we want this competition, at least, to be a motivation for them to continue their education,” explains Karol Kowalski.
What is the situation in the senior category? According to the chairman of the jury, Mariusz Gliwiński, for several years the works submitted to the competition Amber Craft do not inspire optimism. How was it this year? „I am surprised by the level of the senior entries. While it is difficult to question the technical merits of the awarded entries, I missed the ability for abstract thinking. Perhaps expecting too much artistic inventiveness from craftsmanship is an exaggeration, but the constant repetition of the same motifs indicates a lack of creative inventiveness from the authors. Let's remember that these are competition entries. This is precisely why many entries in this category were not qualified for the competition at all. Fortunately, there were also technically advanced and interesting entries,” he says.
The jury awarded the following prizes:
Category: Juniors, Theme: Spring with amber - cheerfully
- Place: Szymon Wesołowski for the work titled „Laugh With Me”
- Place: Mirosław Lemiński for the work titled „Cosmic Amber Spring”
- Place: Sandra Kokot for the work titled „The Smile Clock”
distinctions: Debora Węgorzewska and Pamela Mikienica
Seniors category, theme: The beauty of insects in the light of amber (jewellery made using traditional techniques with amber)
- Place: Piotr Musiał for the work titled „Night Wanderer”
- place: Jakub Śliwowski for the work titled „Spring Pendant”
- venue: Marcin Motog for the work entitled „Inclusion in a Modern Form” - ring
and
1st place: Tomasz Bold for his work titled „Metamorphosis” - a piece created using 3D computer graphics and amber.