First platform meeting 8 February 2025
On 8 February, we met at MASieraad's first platform meeting. It was a nice, energetic
afternoon in which we got to know each other better, or for the first time. There was
enthusiasm to share ideas and opportunities. We all agreed that there is a lot missing in
jewellery Netherlands at the moment, although some great things are also emerging. We
know better what is needed and who is interested in organising something. Meeting
each other on an annual basis seems therefore meaningful and we will continue to
organise this.
But the main question is how to create a follow-up to all these ideas and that is where
we hope MASieraad can help.
We see our role as MASieraad platform as facilitator and discussion partner: we think it
is important to have a community of jewellery makers. We want to inspire, advise and
support initiatives. As a foundation we can give initiatives a push through our network,
reputation and experience in the jewellery field. We can assist in writing grant
applications, letters of recommendation or support, contacts in institutions. We also
think our educational ambition is important and aim for an annual Spring or
Summerschool in Ravenstein, organised by younger artists from the Netherlands or
Belgium.
Following 8 February, we would like to hear from you whether any new initiatives,
collaborations, plans or activities have emerged from our first platform meeting, and
how we can help you making these come true.
We look forward to your response,
Ruudt Peters, Chequita Nahar, Liesbeth den Besten, Leo Versteijlen
MASieraad is taking a new direction
In 2024, after having delivered 2 cohorts of talented international
Master students at PXL-MAD in Hasselt, and 1 cohort at the Sandberg Instituut
in Amsterdam, MASieraad will make a re-start based on the commitment of people
involved, alumni, teachers, the board of the foundation, and others. The
multi-layered history of our teaching, and the individuality of the artists and
others connected with MASieraad is our base.
We don’t call it a collective, nor a community, or a platform, but we
like to see it as a conceptual model, a vehicle that is moving forward, in
which people can join, and which is open to initiatives and fresh ideas. The
coexistence of multiple visions is central. We cherish the wish to express ourselves
in jewellery or otherwise in connection with people, and drawing on our social,
political and spiritual consciousness.
MASieraad aims to promote contemporary jewellery in a broad sense. We build
upon the power of Dutch jewellery design and strongly believe in the innovative
power of our alumni and of (jewellery) design. We can start sowing again in the
plowed land that has now been created.
We envisage a flexible, nomadic future instead of depending on a fixed
base. As of June 2024, when our last students have graduated, MASieraad will
continue as an independent entity, aimed at promoting the education in
jewellery by offering collaborations with different Dutch and international MA
programs in various ways; post-graduate education and residencies are among our
goals.
At the same time different types of education will be offered to open
the secluded jewellery niche, to inspire and stimulate interest.
We continue with our alumni who will help shape new ideas and
initiatives. They have a closer contact to the field and know what is urgent, while
the senior MASieraad people, board and teachers, can offer their experience,
knowledge and network. We are happy to welcome Chequita
Nahar as a new member on our board.
It is a work in progress.
Please join us on our journey. You can find us on Instagram.
MASieraad 21-02-2024The second Graduation show of MASieraad Hasselt-Asmterdam 2024
Warm congratulations to the second cohort of MASieraad Hasselt-Amsterdam students: Jeannette Knigge, Diana Kirdeeva, Jiawei Xu, Yili Zhao, Mengying Sun.
This group of 5 talented students from all corners of the world presented their graduation work in a superb exhibition at SITE Nord in Amsterdam.
JEANNETTE KNIGGE, PERFORMING IDENTITY
Jewellery is a way to show your identity. You adapt to the social needs of your environment. With my background as a goldsmith, I'm redefining my identity in contemporary jewellery, using my technical skills and the urge to make art.
My pieces raise questions about our social behaviour and people's expectations of themselves and others.
info@kunstgoud.nl – @kunstgoud
DIANA KIRDEEVA, FORCED BELONGINGS
Is it possible to detach and separate oneself from things that in fact made you who you are? With this and more questions in the back of my mind I started a journey of looking for a new form of existence. Cut-off fingers became my medium - metaphorical and literal transformation process of detaching from the place of origin and finding a new configuration.
kirdeevadiana@gmail.com – @things.by.dk
JIAWEI XU, HOPE IN HOPLESSNESS
My work starts from my own childhood, a great discomfort when I was on the beach, the spikiness of sand disturbing my skin, almost similar to my skin color, sand gives me a great feeling of insecurity by feeling lost and scared. Haunted by the feeling sand gave me, later I revealed the feeling is psychologically named ‘learned helplessness’. During my struggle, art was my only connection with the true world. Pulling me out again and again from my own cage of mind, art constantly brought me back to the present, patiently companied me for over two decades. Gradually, art led me to the beginning where my dolorous thought was bred, a vulnerable kid who thought she was being abandoned when she was one year old. In this work, I choose to use performance by revive my scene of pain, to give myself a second chance to see the truth of me and my surrounding.
xjw99@icloud.com – @jiawei_xu99
YILI ZHAO, DUST - MEMORY CONTAINER
Every moment is dying, and the dust will carry the memories. Dust can be seen as a witness to time. In my work I explore the possibilities of dust, a seemingly insignificant material, as an art material. Regardless of the type of dust collected, it is a medium for capturing the ephemeral and timeless aspects of life. With the help of a handheld vacuum cleaner and specially designed filters with symbols I collect dust, that can represent moments that have a special importance.
zhaoyilir@163.com – @_zhaoyili_
MENGYING SUN, BORN TO LOVE, BORN TO DIE
As humans, we crave for love and fear death. What we truly possess is the present, which is being stolen from us in this era of digital information. Jewellery serves to carry the metaphysical spiritual world of individuals or collectives. In my work I reflect on traditional and historical Chinese wedding and funeral jewellery, using combinations of wood or 3d printed nylon with silicon wafer chips.
pusuzhubao@163.com – @mengyingsuen