Spot the Designer - Fabiana Fusco/ Italy
What did you want to be when you were a child?
Since I was a child anything that dealt with art and creativity were my passions. I liked drawing, crochet, beads working, clay and during the pass of the years my ambitions led me to different jobs aspirations: stylist, graphic designer or….dancer! Contemporary and classical Dance were and are one of my passion too, that, sometimes, especially in the first time of my jewelry designer career inspired many of my works and collections.
When have you started creating jewelry? How did this passion come about?
At the end of college I had to present an essay for the final exam. My History of art professor offered me to write something about the most famous jeweler of the 1940-50 years and to draw some sketches of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry that they had created during that period. I took the decision to study History of art at University, especially the ancient greek jewelry and, at the same time, to attend a school and a goldsmith shop in the centre of Rome in order to achieve the skills and start to do something by myself.
What was your first project or significant piece for you and from what point of view?
My first piece was a sunflower necklace but for sure the most significant pieces were the “Jazz corner collection” necklaces. I was usually hanging out in a Jazz club in Rome, The Alexanderplatz jazz club, and I decided to sketch the club during the concerts…when the first necklace was ready I decided to show it to the club owner and he offered me to exhibit all my jazz colections during his Jazz Festival in Rome in the summer, it was my first exhibition…was the 2002.
How do you charge your batteries? What other passions and creative interests do you have?
When My inspiration is completely off I usually put my energy on the sewing machine or take a walk to find the last art exhibition in a gallery or visit a museum or just walk around without a specific aim, just rise up my nose and look around me. But to be honest my mind is always putting on something new to create.
What does the connection between manufacturing tradition and contemporary design mean to you?
Lost wax is my favourite technique with all the traditional one, so to be contemporary to me means a materials research basically but anything serving my inspiration’s needs. Few months ago I started to use 3d printers to create parts to insert in my new pieces and honestly I have to say that I’m enjoying so much experimenting materials and use them to build not only jewelry parts but also the packaging. Social themes, the necessity to represent the world around me, anything that touch my inner soul, that denounce social problems and diseases remain my focus and a way to give my contribution through a piece of jewelry…a piece of art that don’t need a museum to be visited and to make people think about but it needs just a body that can go everywhere to bring a message. This is my contemporary point of view.
Is there a self-portrait piece that speaks most about you?
Nowadays probably is my migrants necklace. It represents my new begin in artisans world after a long while.
Which material have you not yet used is a temptation and a challenge for you?
Borosilicate glass… I would love to have the chance to attend a workshop, it is in my to do list!
How was the pandemic period for you as a jewelry designer?
Awful at the beginning… In November 2019 I was back opening my studio after six years of closing and I had planned a lot of things and exhibitions for 2020 but, as you know, the world stopped itself and it was hard to think about something new to work on without a certain perspective… my daughter helped me in it. I took her some pictures playing with cans and a string at the mechanical phone just to explain how to maintain the safety distance from people and friends… using the phone she had understood that with the string perfectly tight she could ear my voice from the can. The pictures became a neckpiece just to have my hands full and the neckpiece was selected for an exhibition in Madrid…a light at the and of the tunnel!
How do you see the future of contemporary jewelry?
It is so unconventional but now more than the last years the pandemic led people to any artistic fields, to create more having the occasion to show themselves… so let’s stay positive!
Find more about the designer Fabiana Fusco