 april 19, 2013 - june 2, 2013 Ellinor Stenroos was born and raised in coastal Finland until she as a 21 year old moved to England to study silversmithing, goldsmithing and jewellery design. Having grown up as a Swedish speaking Finn, English was introduced to her as a third language around the age of 10. She became fully submerged in an English speaking culture during her university years. The oddities of sayings and idioms always fascinated her, and how different cultures have their own unique ways to express themselves. After 3 years in England she moved to Canada and found that the British English language she now spoke fluently was often misunderstood. Certain sayings and idioms were no longer translating and expressing what they were supposed to. The Swedish speaking Finn culture the artist grew up in often express quotes and idioms through very dark topics, ‘to fail or error’ would often lead to one’s demise or death. There is a harshness and bluntness that culturally doesn’t translate, despite how the words themselves easily might. Ellinor Stenroos has a fascination with poetry, the power of the written word and how it can emit emotion that transcends countries, cultures and timelines. This exhibition is equally an exploration of our concepts of what jewellery should represent, the actual weight and size contradicting the idea of jewellery being wearable, as well as a voyage into the realm of the written word physically being worn. ‘Statement’ is a series of jewellery art-pieces exploring how we express ourselves with the clothing and accessories we choose to wear. In a highly materialistic society, jewellery is no longer a mere symbol of a gift or a promise, but has evolved into a perceived “impression of wealth”, “ the depth of someone’s love” and “sincerity of a commitment”; we are constantly seeking approval and acceptance from our society. When the statement we are wanting to make to our peers and our society becomes anchored in a price tag or the size of ‘the rock’, whether we can afford such statements or not, we are forgetting everything that a piece of jewellery traditionally used to represent. ‘Statement’ is a conceptual exploration of wearing a physical label based on -not our successes and fortune- but our insecurities. Jewellery normally is a symbol of happiness, milestones and celebrations. This series examines the opposite, the physical notion of wearing each and every insecurity and burden, not just quietly experiencing them. This exhibition is not crafted to overshadow nor cast dismay over the beauty we find in the jewels we regularly treasure, but to embrace the thought of ‘wearing our hearts on our sleeves’, whether in-love, over-flowing with excitement or drenched in grief. We continuously label each other and ourselves. The label we choose to wear and the one others put on us are at times conflicting. With 10 oversized necklaces, displayed in wall-mounted box frames, statements and labels that we all internally battle are crudely mounted for anyone to see and judge. The weight of the chains suspending each statement are relevant to the weight we as human beings often experience as we carry our feared shortcomings and burdens around with us on a daily, and sometimes lifelong, basis. Every ‘Statement’ is a window into the darkest corners of our subconscious and ego. By recognizing and acknowledging the fears we hide inside of us, we may grow brave enough to see beauty in the weight we allow to hold us down, that ultimately also strengthen us. This series is an expedition into the artist’s self-consciousness, and an observation of our inhibitions. It is an acknowledgement of the labels we wrongly put on ourselves, hide deep inside and prevent anyone from proving them wrong. The artist wants to convey the emotion of lifting these necklaces off our shoulders and cathartically mounting them in space outside of our inner selves. opening reception (artist in attendance) friday april 19, 2013 | 7:00 pm artist talk wednesday may 15, 2013 | 6:00 pm 3 Comments The 925 Sterling silver vessel ‘Morphology’ was my major project when finishing my BA Hons. degree at Kent Institute of Art and Design, in Rochester Kent. I had some initial problems with the silver hand-raised pods cracking in the hammering process, and eventually ended up spinning the pods instead of using the hand-raised ones. Time was of the essence and I didn’t want to spend an additional week on something that may or may not come together for the final stages of my piece. I documented the pods at the stage when I chose to scrap them. Looking back on them now I wish I would have saved them and used them in a ‘decomposing’ project where the brittleness of over-heated silver could have been celebrated; as the material showcases some wonderful ‘vulnerability’ in the images below. As much as the vessel was created based on its shape and forms’ impact on its surroundings, it can also be used as a vase. The sloths in the pods were created to celebrate the part of a flower we forget about and don’t showcase. The stem, the root. The vessel was a celebration of ‘where all things derive from’. Morphological silver vessel a. The branch of biology that deals with the form and structure of organisms without consideration of function b. The form and structure of an organism or one of its parts) A great concern of how silverware and precious objects are perceived was one of the most elementary reasons for the development of the piece. It was created on the basis that it would be able to exist in a minimalist setting, though it is an ‘additional piece’ of silverware and therefore decorative, but only because we have destined silverware to be supposed so. To be able to justify its being, the form was intrinsic. The function of this piece is secondary to the concepts it is exploring. Metal has been forced to move ways it does not want to move, yet still the metal is Willingly telling stories of individual hammer beats and ripples this has created. For the maker there is an intriguingly exciting process to hold something we perceive so precious of time and monetary value, and then cut it open and apart; explore it on the inside. It was necessary to discover the revelation of demolishing the pre-destined and also geometrical shape, to find that there was a whole different meaning to how silver was experienced. The exploration of a primordial shape should not be compromised because of values and ideas that derive from the birth of this industry’s craft. The integral purpose was to treat the silver vessel as a morphological piece rather than something created out of precious materials for a sacred function. The vessel can hold specimen flowers, but the piece is still more axiologically compelling without this intrusion. The shapes of the vessel exist in symbiosis with each other, unimpaired and in unitariness. It is then allowed to live in an endobiotic relationship with its surrounding. This silver vessel is a proud study of morphological values; its internal structure, and its axiomatic existence. 
When I was completing my university studies in 2005 I was very fascinated with technology in jewellery and the future marriage of the two. Not only the new techniques we were going to use to create jewellery, but how technology itself would be worn as adornment on our bodies. I studied this concept in my thesis, very much inspired by forerunners like Tag Heuer, Niessing and the tales dating as far back as Dick Tracey. As part of my master project within the jewellery practice I wanted create a collection of rings that could transition into a new era of high-tech jewellery. Here you can read my thoughts around the sterling silver, rubber O-ring and gemstone (authentic or synthetic) completed in 2005.  CONCEPT IDENTITY RING - The Identity ring emerged and fitted suitably with all high-tech scenarios that explore a not too unrealistic near future. The ring would be personal to its owner, also only function when worn by the owner. A digital reader of fingerprints would line the ring shank, and obviously without a matching fingerprint the ring would never “log in” the owner and start to function. When the right person wore this ring, the gemstone would come alive. Inside the purposely large stone settings digital information would be stored. Depending on the purpose of the ring, information stored within may vary. Obvious functions would be to open doors, grant access to places via the digital information stored about the owner within the ring. The information would be reflected through facets of the synthetic gemstone, and each reader would know which facet to pick up the information from. If the owner wanted to wear it “off duty”, or for some reason not carry all this information, the gemstone is easily removed from the ring shank because it is attached to an o-ring, and it easily clips out of its plug position in the shank; this lock position being the only that enables the ring to work. The rattling key era would be over. You would carry your ‘oyster’ {UK public transit} travel cards on your finger as well as credit cards and identification proof. This is making a statement of jewellery being the ultimate expression for ubiquitous technology. The definitive way of letting jewellery become an enhancive part of the wearer and the design industry. Lauren Bagliore S/S 2012 at LG Fashion Week, Toronto, ON, Canada. www.laurenbagliore.com Featuring ‘EVStenroos for Lauren Bagliore’ runway jewellery; silver-plated cuffs, stainless steel and spray coated ring/hand ornaments and Tube & Spherical necklaces. www.evstenroos.com All clothing and jewellery available at DaDe Art & Design Lab, 1327 9th Ave SE (Inglewood,) Calgary, AB, Canada. www.dadegallery.com | contact us today403 454 0243
info@dadegallery.com 
ELLINOR STENROOSBoldness through simplicity; daring statements in modest settings. Categories |
