Spot the Designer - Erzsébet Betti Domonyi/ Hungary
What did you want to be when you were a child?
For a long time, I didn't have a concrete idea and I knew more what I didn't want to be. But crafts have always been a part of my life, and since I was very young, I have always enjoyed giving handmade creations as gifts. I went on to study chemistry and eventually became an architect. Architecture was a direct route to jewellery making, which still serves as an inspiration to this day.
When have you started creating jewelry? How did this passion come about?
I started making jewellery more seriously around the age of 20, beading and making wire jewellery. I have experimented with different materials (wood, leather, textiles) and techniques, as well as drawing, painting, and learning 3D modelling software. Many aspects of my life have changed, which has led me to reinterpret what I have learned so far, how to put it all together and what to focus on. This is how I became a goldsmith.
What was your first project or significant piece for you and from what point of view?
The Indifference brooch is based on a sketch made during a good conversation with a friend and has been privately collected. It was this conversation and the creation of this piece that strengthened my commitment to contemporary jewellery.
How do you charge your batteries? What other passions and creative interests do you have?
My passion is my work, jewellery making is my passion. Travelling and getting to know other people, cities and cultures is inspiring, it gives me inspiration and keeps me renewed. Besides crocheting, sewing, painting, woodcarving and so many other hobbies that are part of my life.
What does the connection between manufacturing tradition and contemporary design mean to you?
It's all based on traditional manufacturing, the satisfaction of using tools, the longer processing of materials. It's a process of feeling how the material behaves, develops and becomes the finished piece you imagine.
Is there a self-portrait piece that speaks most about you?
My creations are always inspired by a feeling, a story. One of my most significant pieces celebrates the arrival that has come in my life, with my pursuit of the goldsmith's trade. I consider myself fortunate to be able to experience this and I can only encourage everyone to seek a path that will give them true satisfaction in their work and life. This piece of art is everything that I am.
Which material have you not yet used is a temptation and a challenge for you?
The pieces I am showing at Romanian Jewelry Week cover a small part of a larger project. In this project, I am also making jewellery from different materials suitable for building and modelling. This year, the focus has been on carbon fibre profile and 3D printed elements. In the year 2024, the fibre reinforcement for concrete will be CONCRIX, two-component polypropylene fibres and meshes. These materials are used by the construction industry in structural engineering, and I ask how their role in art can be conceptualised.
How was the pandemic period for you as a jewelry designer?
The pandemic was traumatic in the sense that I was able to see the fragility of humanity first hand. It was an excellent opportunity to step back, reflect and reinterpret things that have driven my creative attitude forward.
How do you see the future of contemporary jewelry?
It's an opportunity - it means different things to different people. For me, the future of contemporary jewelry means freedom, renewal and development; the result of a creative process requiring multidisciplinary knowledge.
