From February 5th to June 22nd at the Pôle Bijou Baccarat with the exhibition "In Praise of Slowness", a panel of 17 jewelry artisans expresses the value of time through original and unique creations.
In a society where haste and a thirst for speed prevail in culture and in almost all areas of modern man's daily life, taking one's time and knowing how to appreciate one's "slowness" has almost become an aberration for a hurried and impatient generation. And yet, a handful of irresistible people are questioning this cult of speed and adopting a current of opinion called " Slow » (from where In Praise of Slowness), and claims a harmonious balance between speed and slowness.
The concept originated from a call from a food critic who fought against the proliferation of fast food and advocated for "culinary diversity and control over production and consumption circuits." Today, the movement is expanding to encompass most sectors of society (slow life, slow school, slow tourism, slow management, etc.) and offers options to counter this widespread tendency toward haste and precipitation.
Witnesses of the necessity of this exceptional work of time on creations, the artisans of the Métiers d'Art find themselves in the middle of this reflection and align themselves to illustrate through this exposure « In Praise of Slowness " these words from the author Carl Honoré, author of an eponymous book: “In this war on the cult of speed, the front line is first and foremost in our heads (…) Free time is not a void to be filled. It is what allows you to reorganize your mind in a creative way (…) When an item is handmade, you know that someone has invested time in it – which imbues it with real value " The honor goes to these masterwork makers and fervent defenders of slowness.
In Praise of Slowness: Belgium and its Creators of Originality
Anne-Catherine Mortiaux (Brussels), inaugurates the exhibition “In Praise of Slowness” in the most surprising way… faced with a degenerative disease that reduces the use of her hands, she transmits the story of her body, marked by time, through the collection Art'rose, a series of rings with a deformed band. Endowed with a very singular character, this collection with sharp shapes and edges and pointed corners expresses a choice to put things into perspective, an acceptance of oneself and even a way to sublimate these ravages of time, by experiencing a certain discomfort that gradually becomes part of everyday life.
« With every step, every year, stubborn elders show the way to the children. Slowly, without any sudden movements because the little one has to understand, they advance surely in a translucent world that doesn't touch them. ». Nadine Sizaire (Thiaumont) expresses through these words the spirit of heritage and transmission of its collection of pendants.
French artists with unique authenticity
Like an ode to the evolution of a species through time, the collection of Maïa Amiel (Saint John of Vedas, 34) is the result of a design expressing the extreme slowness during which the support, a supple body in padded crochet stitches, is gradually invaded by embroidery. The latter demonstrates an incredible complexity with a sort of embroidered shell of metal and glass beads, a subtle homage to the turtle.
Passionate about innovation and eclectic creations, Claire Barberot (Strasbourg, 67) is a textile designer from the fashion world. Tired of the hectic pace of constantly demanding new products, she decided to give time to time and indulge in slowness through observation, collecting natural elements, drawing, pleating, as well as hand embroidery and sewing, to better appreciate the relief that slowing down time provides.
With its collection at the extremes of originality, Lucie Boscato (Strasbourg, 67) expresses the sophistication of nature. By recovering dried plants and making them immortal through a slow and measured process of fossilization, Lucie Boscato creates an eternal beauty to these sediments by decorating them with lace, enamel and a few traces of color.
Jessie Bensimon (Paris 75) also places a point of honor in the slow cosmic process of geological transformation of minerals and gems, which once in her workshop are reincarnated in a magnificent collection of rings entitled "Fabulous" ... an adventure that the designer considers as a dialogue between contemporary imagination and the original poetry of ancient gems.
Aude Bramoullé (Paris, 75) transports the mind on a journey to the center of the earth with pieces that bear witness to the creative and transformative force of Nature... Zircon, meteorite with olivine inlay, ametrine slice, trompe l'oeil in mineral fragments and other specimens of extraordinary rarity and antiquity, Aude Bramoulé pays homage to the work of enameling, covered in an immense humility that the Earth demonstrates through time.
The breathtaking creations of Florence Bottazzi (Saint-Amarin, 68) play on ambiguity by offering hybrid forms, sometimes animal, sometimes plant-like. These bottles with their ambiguous designs are intended to accommodate not only perfumes, but also raw emotions, fleeting memories, ephemeral imaginations or perpetual transpositions.
True masterpieces at the cutting edge of refinement with the technique of reticulation, the amulets of Ségolène Cavelot (Périgueux, 24) echo both the lunar cycles and the cycles of plants. As a reminder of the need to appreciate the slow march of time, these creations encourage us to step outside the classic mechanics of the jerky movements of the hands of a clock and immerse ourselves in a reverie where time is no longer a perfect illusion.
Clara Delaunay (Igny, 91) dissects the effects of time through an ethereal experience that transforms the vaporous canvas of mohair threads into a veritable necklace with shimmering octahedrons, while Nina Faivre (Morteau, 25) explores the twists and turns of the mind eroded by time by telling through his pieces the deviousness that Alzheimer's disease takes on.
Marion Parfait (Malakoff, 92) lifts the veil on its collection of embroidered jewelry Ikaah, inspired by Navajo sand paintings. Known for their ability to establish a perfect balance between beings, his legendary sand creations are a testament to the power of slowness, since it takes around 12 hours for 6 people to create a single piece.
The timeless elegance of Swiss creations
The imperturbable creator Nora Delanoë (Lausanne) unveils a series of rings and performative objects with a memorial character... They remind everyone of the need to cling to pleasant moments suspended in time, but also to reclaim slowness in order to find oneself and adjust the clocks of life in order to face the frenetic pace of a society in perpetual degradation.
As for Sarrah Kacem (Geneva), its " Mermaid Collection » emphasizes patience in the art of seduction, using jewelry as a weapon of seduction and attracting the rare pearl in a subtle and delicate way. Characteristics that are reflected in these jewels of rare beauty and elegance, the fruit of long and meticulous work, in order to reveal the deepest treasures of seduction and love.
Erdan Nareh-Telrit
