HELKA KETTUNEN

Designer biography:

I've always believed in lifelong learning. At first I qualified as a jewellery maker. After two years I noticed that art does not provide a sufficient standard of living for me. Therefore, I pursued another career and graduated as a youth worker, but at the same time I continued to study further. I graduated as a Master of Arts and a Doctor of Philosophy. The local government became familiar through various job assignments from a leisure instructor to a senior youth worker. I have also been employed as a teacher in different school levels: in pre-school, primary and secondary school, vocational training school and at university. Making jewelry is my passion, so at that time, I made jewellery on order. When I retired, I restarted making jewellery. In my jewellery, I combine both natural and artificial materials: such as recycled silver, leather and plastic. I`m a member of Suomen Kultaseppien Liitto (The Goldsmith Association of Finland). Latest exhibitions: VIII Contemporary Goldsmithing Exhibition 2024 01.02.-17.3.2024 Madrid, Romanian Jewelry Week 4.-8.10.2023, Slovenian Jewelry Week 11.-19.5.2023.

Collection concept:

Memory-bound

Birch bark work has been one of the basic skills of the old people well into the 1900s. Birch bark has been used to fold and braid various utility items for many purposes. Birch bark is a flexible, durable, lightweight and versatile material. In Finland, it has also been called plastic from the past. What is made of plastic today used to be made from birch bark. Birch bark work is like a treasure chest inherited from our ancestors. In the Memory-bound collection, old technique continues to live on in a new expression, where old and new material meet. This combination also demonstrates a commitment to recycling and environmental responsibility.

Helka Kettunen (Finland)

HELKA KETTUNEN

Designer biography:

Collection concept: