ICONOGRAPHY.
AINHOA calls her jewellery pieces SCULTURE INDOSSABILI /WEARABLE SCULPTURES.
Each piece poses a spatial problem that I try to solve.
These pieces are the result of a reflection on SPACE and VOID. I explore VOID by creating volumes and shaping space.
In the relationship between the solid mass of the monolith and the space it points to, a HOLE is carved: VOID. It strips matter bare, pierces it, so that air cab embraces it. The EMPTINESS is part of the object, it is a focal point for the observer and it makes understand where the piece is heading. It is a space of potentiality.
An aesthetic that celebrates VOID and SPACE, silence, asymmetry and simplicity without artifice.
"The power of these exquisitely crafted precious jewellery pieces is more significant than inherent value of precious materials. Those who wear these jewellery, do not to choose them to demonstrate their "purchasing power", but to underline their SENSITIVITY TOWARDS ARTISTIC CREATION. And therefore towards LIFE.
Compared to other artistic creations, the jewel is characterized by the peculiarity of being worn.
The pieces find their LOCATION ON THE BODY in direct physical contact with the person. By subverting the rule of the game, it is the object that becomes the subject. Disrupting the usual relationship between the object and the body.
Beyond decorative impact, jewellery pieces are designed to provoke a POWERFUL REPONSE – sensually, and conceptually -. The power lies in the fact that they are crafted to exalt the wearer and onlooker beyond the everyday.
MINIMALISM with texture.
" Susan Sontag's in "The Aesthetics of Silence": "... any silence found its identity in a space of time perforated by sound."
I WORK BY SUBTRACTION.
I explore the extreme concentration of the formal and the expressive to obtain, SYNTHESIS IN FORM, CONDENSATION OF EXPRESSION and CONCISENESS OF STYLE.
I work on my ability to remove matter, to restrict formal limits - without altering expressiveness. Experimenting with synthetic, sober, lapidary forms and stripped down, raw pieces of minimal materiality.
This essence that underlies my pieces, however, can be masked by another undoubtedly strident and boisterous feature, DISONANCE, -an inherent tension, a clash- in those contexts that are supposed to be harmonious.
There is nothing serious or elitist in the essentiality of my forms. They are elegant without being pretentious..
Nor is there anything austere or humble in the minimalism of my pieces. On the contrary, I believe that it reveals a PROVOCATIONAL and LUDIC value.
FORMALISM.
Attentive to detail, I work humbly valuing each form.
I seek the exaltation of beauty by creating emotional and dramatic effects.
THE FORMS ARE ORGANICS, ABSTRACTS, ARCHAICS.
The jewelleries show a formal composition of infinite possibilities. Offer as many faces as glances. Each piece reveals INNUMERABLE PERSPECTIVES.
The combination of many changing points of view seamlessly integrates into the composition of each piece, giving it RHYTHM AND BALANCE.
In the balance between SIMPLICITY AND COMPLEXITY, the pieces do not fade, as the user never ceases to discover new appearances: the beauty is enriched, and their aesthetic value grows over the years.
Jewellery that invites a slow, reflective, solitary gaze.
SOLID GOLD. WEARABLE SCULPTURES
A solid, real 18k yellow gold piece.
18k yellow gold is composed of 75% gold fine metal, making it rich in color and heavy in weight.
Solid 18k gold is HEAVY: this doesn't make solid gold jewellery uncomfortably heavy, it just makes it very satisfying. Perfectly proportioned. At every stage of development, comfort and wearability are a priority. This takes tremendous skill and attention.
The physical experience with the jewellery matches what the eyes expect. They weigh what they should. The vaults and thicknesses of the piece are solid. No hollowed, no plated.
Its high gold content makes it soft, warm and allows for a gorgeous PATINA to develop over time. This PATINA is the result of tiny nicks and scratches that begin to appear almost immediately upon use – signs of daily life. Over time will become truly yours.
My jewelry is designed to be worn and to show the marks of everyday life.
A flawless polish is not the disposition of 18k gold, nor is it AINHOA’s goal.
Holding the weight of its beauty is a wonderful experience I can't wait for you to experience.
ALABASTER. WEARABLE SCULPTURES.
I was captivated, mesmerized the first time I saw pure gold melted and poured into the ingot mould. Then I decided that I would only work with gold. That it would be my identity material.
As my desire to sculpt grew, I saw that gold was limiting me. And I decided to try alabaster, because I think that the vibration of its light is very similar to the vibration coming from 18-carat gold. Also because, knowing and admiring the work of Eduardo Chillida, it seemed to me a magical material.
Alabaster, a water-soluble mineral that, like talc, can be scratched with a fingernail.
Perfect mineral to make a work in which the light enters inside the material, its diffuse illumination makes its way into the carved space and creates a contrast with the solidity of the surrounding form: a play between interior and exterior space.
That of alabaster is a milky light, apparently luminous but veiled, opaque. In Chillida's opinion, even a gloomy light. Something not too far from the dark and misty glow of the landscape of his homeland, the Basque Country.
I recognize that feeling myself.
CURIOSITIES ABOUT ALABASTER
The origin of the word is to be found in the Far East and ancient Egypt: the pear-shaped containers, without handles, in which perfumes were kept, were called alabastra. Its name comes from a Bast goddess of ancient Egypt. Depicted as a lioness, she covered the vases made from the stone.
It appears in the Bible. An alabaster jar contained the fine oil in which the woman anointed Jesus' feet. And by storing alabaster stones, David built the temple of Jehovah in Jerusalem.
ON THE SPIRITUAL PLANE
Alabaster has the power to drive away negative energies and attract positive ones.
It facilitates forgiveness and thus frees the being and purifies the soul. It helps to focus on the positive and gives moral strength to overcome family or social resentments.
It is connected to the seventh chakra, which is the centre of spirituality and self-awareness, and helps to focus on oneself. Its liberating and relaxing effect helps to improve bone and muscle ailments.
Its frequency is high vibrational. It is widely used in meditation.
IN MEDICINE
Alabaster is a mineral of powerful spiritual and healing energy.
In lithotherapy, it has many virtues: it helps with heart problems and helps the regeneration of new cells. It also helps digestion and swallowing and relieves chronic pain.