Pearls as heirlooms
ABOUT THE PROJECT
These strings in the photos are part of a total of 8 strings (56 beads in total) that I had the opportunity to make in 2006, commissioned by the Utrechtse Heuvelrug municipality. The municipality organised the exhibition ‘Seeing and being seen’ in which I took part. These 8 strings hung between centuries-old trees for three months in the English landscape garden of Huis Doorn (see other photos for the complete picture).
SEE AND BE SEEN!
The slogan during the creation of the Stichtse Lustwarande between 1850 and 1900. Rich people, especially bankers and merchants from Amsterdam and Utrecht, built beautiful country houses, with gardens as large as parks in the English landscape style. These country houses not only functioned as country houses, but also played an important role in the social contacts families maintained with each other. Standing out, embellishing and adorning the property was very important here. This work of art is an ornament, hanging wide in the garden certainly shows the wealth!
THE STICHTSE LUSTWARANDE CONNECTS EIGHT VILLAGES
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- De Bilt
- Zeist
- Driebergen-Rijssenburg
- Doorn
- Leersum
- Amerongen
- Elst
- Rhenen
EVERY VILLAGE HAS ITS OWN IDENTITY
Court village, farm ribbon, river town. I reflected the beads, the weave, the lace, the open spaces and the discolouration in the cords. So these identities are literally incorporated into the decorations of the pearls. Each pearl is uniquely decorated, after all, no two villages have the same country houses!
PEARLS AS HEIRLOOMS
Through these pearl necklaces, the past is reflected in the present. The 56 pearls are made of clay and all fired at 1,280 °C. I chose to use many different white glazes on the pearls, most of the glazes were composed by myself and finished here and there with a lustre creating the pearl shine. The silver ‘buttons’ are made of wood, the pearls are strung on steel wire.
EXHIBITION – Ceramica Delft:
EXHIBITION – Schipluiden:
