back Button project ‘010 Sieraad’
Oct 09, 2008
‘Buttons’ is a new project in progress of art group ‘010 Sieraad’. It will grow to be a worldwide show with more the one thousand buttons. The ‘pilot show’ will be in the historical museum of Rotterdam; het Schielandhuis. For this show approx. 30 artists; jewel makers, visual artist, designers, writers and philosophers, will devise and create a button.I am invited to be one of these artists. My idea was 'waiting in a drawer' for years all ready and with the concept of a button all pieces felt together. I wanted to create ‘mourning jewels’, based on the ones made with human hair in the Victorian time, for a long time. We were supposed to make three buttons.
I never had so many difficulties making a work, as with this project. The idea and content of my buttons were made this summer all ready, but finishing the 'real button' took a lot of time and effort. I tried all kind of buttons, from glass until plastic again. I decided that my buttons would be made from a metal back and a plastic front, as much like the 'original' buttons we all know.
No.1: I embroidered a part of the portrait of my grandmother, as a loving memory of her. Her big bun, surrounded with a braid were typical for her looks.
No. 2: I made a portrait button of- and with the hair of Fritszke, our cat, who died a year ago.
No. 3: I designed a button as one I would like to be remembered myself. I used my fingerprint as a basis. Normal we talk about the footprint we leave on this planet, I rather leave a fingerprint, which is more positive in my point of view. I see a footprint for what we destroy on this planet and a fingerprint for what we create. I embroidered my fingerprint with my own hair on a background of name labels, which I use to 'sign' my work with.
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