Spot the Designer - Margot Obbels/ Belgium

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

I had this weird fascination with clowns and wanted to become a clown. It didn't occur to me to become an artist.

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

I never really made jewelry before I started majoring in the field. I did like to draw and started attending the art academy when I was 6 years old. My dad brought me to museums every Sunday and I fell in love with the big statues and classical paintings. It was at a later age as I became more aware of my body and its possibilities, that I started fantasizing about wearing pieces of art on my body.

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

My eurotag project was the first school project where I had total freedom. Not having limitations was scary at first but it was so exciting to make something that was ‘true to myself’. It was the first time I had to trust my own abilities and creativity. Seeing others appreciating my work and going in conversation with me about the work was amazing. It gave me the push to keep going.

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

I practice martial arts three times a week to blow off steam. If I have free time I like to go for walks in my city, the hustle and bustle of the busy streets gives me inspiration.

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

Although the traditional craft of jewelry making fascinates me, I don't use its precious materials and techniques. It’s not that I’m not able to, but I just don’t feel like those methods and materials in particular fit my concepts since I’m fascinated with ‘the mass culture’.

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

This is a mouthpiece that I made for a school assignment about gold. Gold has a high status, so I was interested in digging into the social standard of the material.  I started from the statement ‘Turn shit into gold’ cause you could literally turn a pile of shit into gold and people would still pay for it. For me dental plaque is one of my biggest icks, for that reason I need to have clean teeth at all times. The work is also a personal piece since it only fits my mouth.

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

I would really like to work with pearls. They are known for their traditional use and I would like to challenge the material beyond its classical rules of application, however I don’t have a clear vision around this prospect yet.

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

When the first lockdown was announced I decided to move to my parental house for the time being. I thought the pandemic would be an obstacle for my artistic process, but eventually I started to see opportunities. Because of limited resources I started to look at what was within arm’s reach. My parents have this big garden that partly functions as a storage for all sorts of ‘junk’. I forced myself to look at these obsolete objects in a way that is different from their initial use and it gave me refreshing insights that helped me with in-depth material research.

How do you see the future of contemporary jewelry?

Contemporary jewelry art is a fairly young discipline, meaning there are still many opportunities to come such as a collaboration with other artfields, to create an interdisciplinary movement for example. The future of contemporary jewelry looks promising.

Find more about the designer Margot Obbels