Lissabon 2005 (englisch)
everywhere nowhere -Ars Ornata Europeana
von Sabine Braunfisch
und ...
With this year's topic "everywhere nowhere" The Portuguese jewellery association PIN put the main emphasis on the presence/absence from jewellery in everyday life. the beauty of the slight and brief was theme of many facets. Another aspect of the symposium was documented in several expositions. It was to put work in a different context from room or time, the interdisciplinary transitions:
„mais perto – closer“ showed the approach of yesterday and today. One could find pieces of jewellery and sculptures again and again between renaissance furniture and paintings which corresponded the collection. „lightness – reviving filigree“ showed old granulation-techniques in contemporary jewellery. „everywhere“ and „nowhere“: two workshops which had been led by Ted Noten and Paula Roush in the previous week for the symposium presented their results. „nomad room“ discussed the private life and the public room as well as the transgression of its limits as a central theme in jewellery.
This interaction was picked up also with other media. While the body as a rule is functioning as a presentation area for jewellery, the dance performance “room“ and the video projection „eating your heart out“, pointed out how the body behaves with and within a sculpture. And the slide lecture „all about jewellery“ pointed out how the body behaves with and within a sculpture.
The lectures „borderline jewellery“, „bracelet java la-grande“ or „SUBJECTivity and OBJECThood“ dealt with the topic from again different points of view. Included was a look-back at the last symposium. The swiss organizers had showed a video of the „Tram Projekt 4“. With a great hello one recognized some people or noticed that one missed them.
Additionional links were provided by local galleries and workshops. One could even find jewellery in the windows of cafés, hatter's et al.
The workshops during the symposium were under the motto "coffee, cigarettes and jewellery, " and had consciously a brief character which emphasized brainstorming and did not lay any claim to completeness.
Drawing lots put the groups together and decided about the workshopleader. It was a relaxed atmosphere. The participants reported their contributions at the following presentation in a short statement so that every participant in this symposium came and got visible to word. One explicit action "from below" for me.
The structure of the symposium moved from lectures and exposition visits to more and more interaction of the participants. At the latest to the workshops the atmosphere was relaxed. Every once in a while, one saw people in lively conversations which were not too seldom held with hands and feet because participants assembled from approx. 12 countries.
A last playful element was the happening „the theft of the jewel“. At the enrolment for the symposium we had been asked to bring a piece of jewellery which should be stolen (irretrievably!). This happening took place on the concluding party in the discotheque "Lux". All over the whole room, the pieces of jewellery were hidden. Everyone moved around and eyed the pieces of jewellery. Nobody knew how it would work. Then the light was turned off for a couple of minutes. Other visitors of the disco made a helpless face but as the light went on again even the most inaccessable pieces were gone and everyone compared their spoils! The search for the "consigners" then started loose. I could steal two rings from Monika Strasser from Switzerland which I very much like. Many thanks. During the whole evening a beamer presentation ran fotos of jewellery by the participants so that one could get an impression of the other work.
And of course it was dancing until late at night!
The association PIN ( founded for the organization of the symposium specifically and growing steadily since then!) has, in my opinion, met the spirit of the ARS ORNATA EUROPEANA wonderfully by producing a good mixture of lectures and discussions on one side and meetings and exchanges on the other side. The red thread of the topic was taken and pursued in various ways. Also with the bonus of a marvelous town with lovely locations: Working groups under an open sky on the shore of the river Tejo accompanied by the scent of oleander, dinner parties with wonderful food. On top of all a completely eased organizing team made a super job and they, even in the last evening, could elicit a very carefull promise from the British association acj to host the next symposium.
To be continued in 2007. ... ....
Ars Ornata Europeana 2005 in Lisbon
von Astrid Niggeloh
In July this year Sabine Braunfisch and I had the delight to attend the 10th Ars Ornata Europeana in Lisbon
In her charming way Cristina Filipe hosted the conference-very lovely and necessary, because from the start of the first day the starting times of the program became obsolete.
The stylish beginning of the AOE took place in the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, where the director of the museum welcomed the participants. Following we had the pleasure of a guided tour through an exhibition.
Internationally known jewellers and silversmith artists were invited to choose their favourite item of the collection and translate the inspiration into their personal piece.
The tour ended with a very impressive dancing-performance from Noam Ben-Jacov. After that, the participants had the delight to listen
to two incredible lectures, each one unique in its kind: Michael Rowe talked about SUBJECTivity and OBJECThood and Robert Baines examined The space between Vasco da Gama, 1498 and James Cook, 1770.
The first day of the conference came to a wonderful end with the reception and a dinner in the lovely garden of the museum with view over the River Tejo.
It was a very good opportunity to see old friends and exchange the latest news and to meet new people.
The news about the bombs in London put a damper on the mood, especially for the large number of British participants.
Fortunately no one was directly affected.
Friday the participants were invited to the Centro Cultural de Belém.
Monika Gaspar started the day of lectures. She introduced her concept of curating the exhibition Nomad Room. After the lecture, there was the possibility to go in the exhibition and look at the results in the next room.
Interesting for a lot of participants was the bridge, built to the former Ars Ornata in Zurich 2003 with the movie from the Tram 4 Project.
Cristina Filipe and her team had a lot to do to get the participants out of the movie and exhibition and to gather the people for the next subject, where the director Delfim Sardoled led through the collection of his museum in a very entertaining way.
The lectures after lunch break offered a wider view, too.
Curator Alexandre Melo showed slides and spoke on the collaboration between the dancer Vera Mantero and the sculpturer Rui Chafes.
The lecture of Liesbeth den Besten of the Françoise van den Bosch Foundation about Borderline Jewellery inspired a lively discussion.
After a long day of intense listening tiredness was blown away by the very amusing and stimulating slideshow of Markus Pfannenstiel and one was refresh for an old Hollywood-movie, open-air right in the center of Lisbon.
The third day of the conference was the playful day.
After ten different worshops in the morning around Jim Jarmusch´s movie „Coffee, Jewellery and Cigarettes“
and the following presentation of the results the afternoon was given to visits of galleries and ateliers.
The highlight of the day was the party at night-no wish was unfullfilled, neither the one of the Forum, that the Ars Ornata Europeana continues.
After midnight, the party moved from the lovely yard of Ar.Co to the club Lux in the docklands. While the The Theft of the Jewellery took place we cooked up ways with the british participants to bring the Ars Ornata to Great Britain. Cross fingers! This Saturday gave the participants the chance to get to know eachother better. With the intense work in the workshops we learned more about the people in our group, many times during the afternoon one saw the others during the day while visiting galleries and ateliers and in the evening we sat together with the same people or met new ones at the long tables.
Many had to leave on Sundaymorning, but for the ones, who stayed the hosts offered a wonderful finale.
Sunday morning in the church Sao Roque the Jesuit Priest Joao Norton de Matos entertained with his lecture about The Sence of a hidden and manifest Presence in Christian Art. After that, a coach picked us up and we had a comfortable ride to selected museums. During the ride we were entertained by interesting facts along the way.
A last picture on the Plaça Rossio marked the end of this inspiring and impressive Ars Ornata Europeana.
Some indefatigable, among those Cristina and her team prearranged a last meeting in a bar. I can´t explain where they got their resources from........
For the last time Sabine and I feasted ourselves on the view over Lisbon and reviewed the conference.
Once again many thanks to our hosts in Lisbon! And hopefully we will see each other again in the UK!
