Found objects

Reusing materials is today closely linked with the term ‘sustainability’. When everyday objects or fragments of such objects are detached from their original functional context and transferred to a new semantic context, we now speak of ‘upcycling’.

In the early years of the twentieth century, the elevation of repurposed materials to art in the form of objets trouvés within Dadaist and Surrealist circles represented a radically new formal principle. Marcel Duchamp (1887–1968) realised it, for example, in his famous ready-mades. Experiments in integrating or reprocessing found objects were conducted in jewellery, too.

The reasons why this trend was followed are, however, as diverse as the results obtained. In times of crisis, a shortage of precious metals left goldsmiths with no other choice but to work with substitute materials. In the 1960s, however, the use of materials not associated with jewellery and without any intrinsic value was intended as an act of socio-political protest. The aim was the renunciation of jewellery expressing status, gender-specific stereotypes and exploitation. However, the formal aesthetic qualities of found objects, or material properties specific to them, also often inspired artists to handle them creatively. Quite often it was also the sentimental value attached to a found object, or its inherent symbolism that inspired working with it. Moreover, very recently, ecological and socio-critical aspects have weighed in more heavily.

The origins of the jewellery objects shown here may vary widely, but what they all have in common is the power to make polysemic and profound statements.