back Buttons project
Jun 20, 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 is 'waiting in a drawer' for years all ready and with the concept of a button all pieces fell together. I wanted to create ‘mourning jewels’, based on the ones made with human hair in the Victorian time, for a long time. We are supposed to make three buttons. I (almost) finished my first button.
No.1: 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 created. I embroider my fingerprint with my own hair on a background of name labels, which I use to 'sign' my work with.
No. 2: I will embroider a part of the portrait of my grandmother, as a loving memory of her. Her big bun, surrounded with a braid was typical for her looks.
No. 3: I will make a portrait button of- and with the hair of Fritszke, our cat, who died a year ago.
 |  |  |
 |