Spot the Designer - Ana Pina x WEK — ROMANIAN JEWELRY WEEK

What did you want to be when you were a child?

AP: My mind probably changed constantly, but one thing I had for certain: I wanted to pursue arts.
TO: I always wanted to be an architect! I actually work on architecture besides jewellery, and I cannot imagine my life without both artistic areas.

When have you started creating jewelry? How did this passion come about?

AP: I never thought I would become a jeweller. From a certain age I dreamt about the following painting, but when I got to college my rational side spoke louder and I went to architecture. In 2011, after a few years working in front of a computer all day in an office, I decided I wanted to follow a more creative path: I enrolled in a jewelry course, just for fun at first, and never stopped ever since!
TO: I was very young when my grandmother showed me the world of sewing and jewelry, especially the woods and colors of the beads she brought from Africa. I always wanted to explore everything that involved creativity in the form of adornment. From the perspective of jewelry as I see it today, I started working on it in 2013.

What was your first project or significant piece for you and from what point of view?

AP: I always remember the Articular bracelet as my first significant jewelry piece. I created it as part of my final collection during my jewelry course, in 2012. It was born of an error, actually, but that fact only makes its story more special. It resumes concepts that I think are fundamental in my jewelry line: simplification, abstraction, articulation, variation.
TO: The creation of WEK materialized the concept that I had been working on, inverting the perception of importance in a necklace, making the clasp its striking element. WEKs first necklace/model is one of the most important pieces in this journey through jewelry.

How do you charge your batteries? What other passions and creative interests do you have?

AP: I really love to travel and feel inspired by other cultures and places, but in my everyday life, I usually charge my batteries with a walk in my city, a visit to an exhibition, some alone time reading or listening to music or a glass of wine with my friends.
TO: I feel that working and living between architecture and jewelry allows me to keep some freshness in both areas. To recharge my batteries nothing better than an escape to the countryside with a good book! I am also a passionate illustrator and drawer.

What does the connection between manufacturing tradition and contemporary design mean to you?

AP: I work mainly in silver, which is a choice probably influenced by my training in traditional jewelry techniques. On the other hand, my background in architecture makes me approach jewelry with a clean, minimalistic and contemporary perspective, more closer to the design than to the artistic vision. I do believe that tradition and innovation can co-exist and that our creations are a reflection of our time, supported by our history and knowledge of the past.
TO: The relationship between tradition and contemporary design, from my perspective, innovation has always been the key to my work at WEK. Developing traditional techniques combining contemporary design and production methods is the way, in my perspective, to achieve unique and timeless designs.

Is there a self-portrait piece that speaks most about you?

AP: I can’t choose one piece only, because I think mainly in collections, but I would probably pick the Modular Collection (2016), as one of the strongest and most architectural of my line of work.
TO: Stoned Heart (2019) is a work that reflects a very particular period in my life, and perhaps the closest to a self-portrait. It was the first time I materialized a feeling of mine through jewelry. but just as life changes, so my perspective has also changed in relation to the piece.

Which material have you not yet used is a temptation and a challenge for you?

AP: I’d love to work with ceramics.
TO: Working with another type of thermoplastic has been one of my great wishes, which is now beginning to take shape and will be studied for a future exhibition.

How was the pandemic period for you as a jewelry designer?

AP: It was both motivating and difficult. In the first lockdown in 2020 I had to close my gallery and workshop (Tincal lab) for almost 3 months, but I took that time to invest in the online and to dedicate myself to some creative projects I was leaving in the second plan due to lack of time. Despite the distance, I was able to connect with my friends and made up the frustration of some postponed plans with the belief in a better future. In the second lockdown, one year later, the effort to keep the optimism was much greater… but I try to keep busy with my work and my gallery, especially because, despite all the difficulties, I can’t imagine myself doing something else.
TO: It was a moment of reflection, of greater exploration of ideas, responding to challenges that arose, especially online, with everyday materials. It was also a moment of special awareness of waste, hence some pieces that had reuse as a motto.

How do you see the future of contemporary jewelry?

AP: I dream that in the future everybody will appreciate contemporary jewelry for its artistic value, seeing the pieces as precious objects regardless of the material they’re made and feel proud wearing them.
TO: I believe that contemporary jewelry is increasingly clear in terms of concept for the general public. Once this value and its meaning have been recognized, I imagine that it will be increasingly consumed and appreciated, progressively becoming more and more present in everyday personal choices.

Find more about the designers Ana Pina x Telma Oriveira x WEK.