Spot the Designer - Ilaria Demo De Lorenzi/ Italy
What did you want to be when you were a child?
When I was a child I wanted to be an artist, a magic creature and the owner of a “safe house” for stray cats.
When have you started creating jewelry? How did this passion come about?
It happened without even realizing it. When I was in high school one of my teachers got ill and for one year we had a teacher of jewel-making instead of him. We worked on some small projects, I learned the basics and found out that I was loving that process. After several years, while I was working for my thesis in fashion design I had to design some buckles for the outfits of my graduate collection. I started to make some fusions in order to experiment a bit and I fell in love with jewel making once again. Since then I never stopped working on jewelry, and I switched from mainly working on clothes to mainly creating one of a kind fusions and jewels.
What was your first project or significant piece for you and from what point of view?
My first significant project was my BA thesis, entitled “I contain multitudes”. During the time that I spent working on that project I felt like I really started to understand many things about myself and about what drives me into creation. Beside a sort of self-realization I feel like I had the opportunity to experiment a lot in many ways, from fashion design, to art direction, to jewels making. Back then I worked on my first experimental fusions and understood in which way I wanted to proceed. It was a really ambitious project but I feel like it shaped me a lot.
How do you charge your batteries? What other passions and creative interests do you have?
I love to travel, so when I have to recharge I mainly leave for an adventure somewhere. When I can’t do this I watch a lot of movies and visit a lot of shows. If I’m really stressed I go running.
What does the connection between manufacturing tradition and contemporary design mean to you?
I love to work with small studios for the production of my pieces. I tend to try and combine together a traditional approach with, in some cases, more modern techniques. To me, for instance, it’s really important that each piece is made directly by hand as I think that working through hands on an object can make it absorb the energy of its maker.
Is there a self-portrait piece that speaks most about you?
I chose this piece entitled “Don’t you go away” that I created in 2019. It’s a pair of earrings made in golden silver, with black nacre and two antelope teeth. I think it represents myself in many complicated ways. What I think that can be easily felt, though, it’s the aura that it has. Trough that aspect I think that is possible to feel a part of me as well.
Which material have you not yet used is a temptation and a challenge for you?
I do really want to try and use hair in my pieces. It’s been a while since I decided to try it out, but it’s always difficult to be able to embed new elements within a process. I’m working on it, let’s see what happens.
How was the pandemic period for you as a jewelry designer?
During the pandemic period honestly I completely switched into research and focused on finding new points of view as for a long time I couldn’t even get out of my house. With all its terrible sides, to me it was a really cathartic period.
How do you see the future of contemporary jewelry?
During the last years I’ve seen an exponential growth within the field and I hope it can continue to develop. I think that it can expand and become even more experimental and engaging as time passes.
Find more about the designer Ilaria Demo De Lorenzi