Je t'invite

This collection was created during my last year at the Academy, when we were given complete freedom to create our own collection. As my theme I chose Alchemy - man seeking to uncover the mysteries of the world. Enchanted by the alchemists' mysterious and poetic illustrations, I was led to texts written by Carl Gustav Jung, who studied alchemist processes for a long time. He concluded that the alchemists were not really looking for a key to understand the universe, but rather for a way to understand themselves. Unconsciously, they projected their thoughts and feelings onto the substances they were experimenting with.

I could fully identify with this and designed a series of body adornments in which I could express various aspects of my personality. I researched how I could create a fragile atmosphere, which led me to the combination of metal and textile. For the first time, words appeared in my designs; words which expressed feelings that matter alone can not express.

The jewel "Je t'invite" won the Enjoia't Student Award 2006 of design center FAD in Barcelona.

Photos ©Ulrike Van Pottelbergh