How do you rate the entries submitted for this year's AMBERIF DESIGN AWARD competition?
This year, participants again submitted many interesting works: I am pleased that so many people took an interest in the found objects and that they made the form of the project subordinate to them, showing respect for the material and treating it as something unique in terms of shape, structure, and surface. Among the submitted works, those stand out in which the material was treated with exceptional delicacy, and those in which new technologies or interesting combinations of amber with other materials, including metal and plastic, were used. I am glad that so many representatives of so many different nationalities „felt” this year's competition theme. Amber has fascinated people for a long time, and today information about its beauty travels around the world in various ways. One of them is the AMBERIF DESIGN AWARD competition, thanks to which more and more creators, including those from younger generations, are using amber with good results. This is precisely how the competition's goal is realised, which is to provide – thanks to amber – new impulses for the international goldsmithing scene.
Competition entries are generally divided into completed and photographed projects, and projects created using computer techniques. Which are you closer to?
Looking at the finished competition entries, I feel a certain dissonance. Some of them are „studied”, prepared with great care and knowledge of a designer's craft – they are excellent in every way, but sometimes it's hard not to get the impression that they are… too perfect. There are also photographed finished works, where sometimes you can see certain workshop imperfections, but – in my opinion – they have greater persuasive power. Sometimes, in a human way, we need to notice minor imperfections to build an emotional connection to objects. Everything on the computer is perfect, which is certainly important for strengthening the message, but it doesn't usually evoke positive emotions in us. I prefer photographs of finished jewellery – but this is irrelevant to the competition participants, as the curator does not participate in the jury's deliberations (laughter).
Is artists' approach to amber changing, and has yours changed too, after 3 years of curating the competition?
Over these three years, I have learned a great deal about amber, met many artists who work with amber, and many enthusiasts of this stone. There is probably no other natural stone with such a variety of colours, whose interior hides so many surprises. It is also amazing that amber has been inextricably linked with Gdańsk for centuries – it is mainly from this city, from this region, that it is exported all over the world. In the works of Polish artists, who – judging by many indications – have grown from the idea of respecting nature, I am fascinated by their unique ability to present their ideas in amber in a free manner that demonstrates expertise. Usually, these are very modern, experimental designs, but there are also archaisms, which – surprisingly – still find audiences.
Can amber be an interesting material for foreign creators?
Of course! It's fantastic to work with, it has many colour variations – it's a wonderful material with numerous positive qualities. And that scent! The fact that amber is an interesting material for foreign creators is best evidenced by the AMBERIF DESIGN AWARD competition – this year, 100 artists from 20 countries took part, even from cultures as distant as Iran and Argentina. The jurors, who themselves create jewellery and/or are academic lecturers, are a huge support for the competition's ideas, so they not only fall in love with amber themselves but also make others fall in love with it. For any jewellery scene, even one with an established reputation, the chance to gain an interesting material, a new perspective, and a fresh outlook can be appealing – it's fantastic that in a country where there is no tradition of working with amber, and often not even the possibility of buying it, someone takes on the challenge and thus provides fresh inspiration. Amber is a very interesting material for expressing one's thoughts, especially for young creators who do not yet have prejudices, think independently, are not constrained by adherence to tradition, use modern techniques and are not afraid of experiments. Often, it's different to countries with a long tradition of working with it, where it can sometimes be difficult to break free from established patterns, the existence of which we are often not even aware of.
Mimesis, Transitional States, Peripheries, Smile of Fate – these are so far the themes you have proposed for the AMBERIF DESIGN AWARD.
Jewellery designers possess a certain sensitivity and an eye for observing the world and people around them, depending on their perspective. This year's theme concerns that moment when we reach the conclusion that we can no longer rely on what we have. Our generation, and the next one too, are questioning fewer and fewer things or phenomena. On the one hand, everything is normal for us, and on the other – nothing is normal... We can no longer believe that life will continue smoothly, that we can predict everything, and that we have control over our lives. Every day we encounter various things that we must examine and, regardless of whether we like them or not, we must learn to live with them. We must react to what is happening around us – this is everyone's responsibility. Jewellery is also a form of reacting to the world. Let's remember that for millennia, it was through jewellery that people conveyed their understanding of the world. The symbolic meanings attributed to it are not only as old as time, but they also connect people all over the world. This is the true value of jewellery, and it is always worth remembering.
Do you already have an idea for the next topic?
Being a curator for the AMBERIF DESIGN AWARD is a tremendous privilege, so thoughts of the competition are constantly with me. Observing the world, I wonder what would motivate designers to think and create work. What theme would have a chance to „connect” creators from different corners of the world? I still have some time, and I will try to find a theme that would show the relationship between jewellery and its owner, but also appeal to participants – both those from abroad, as their fresh inspiration is invaluable to amber, and those from Poland, so that they would want to reinterpret their unique tradition anew.
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