Recycled materials, wearable sculptures
- Karin works with metals, reindeer skin and plastic waste to make jewellery
- Her creations blur the line between art, craft and performance
- She co-founded the Four Gallery hub located in Gothenburg
Karin Roy Andersson creates contemporary jewellery using materials that have been thrown away or that are not considered valuable. She finds inspiration in repetition: not only by working with repeated shapes, but also in the act of assembling the same shape repeatedly until her creation reaches its final form. "This process becomes a quiet, focused rhythm, more like a meditative state than a creative process," says Karin. Her work shows that even simple or ‘useless’ things, including plastic bottles, can become beautiful wearable jewellery. Born in Umeå in Sweden, Karin studied natural sciences before changing paths to explore jewellery making at HDK-Valand in Göteborg. She earned her MFA in 2009 and soon after co-founded Four, a gallery and workshop space where she curates exhibitions and collaborates with other artists.
Interview
- How did your jewellery making career begin?
- I was initially drawn to mathematics and science but I grew tired of it. Later, I applied to a jewellery art programme in Sweden and was accepted. That is how I learned my craft from scratch and discovered a deep passion for it. I have not stopped since.
- Is the environment a key consideration in your work?
- Absolutely, I work primarily with recycled materials such as used plastic containers and reindeer skin. Reindeer skin is in itself a residual material since the demand for meat is much greater than that for skin. For me, re-use is not a choice, it is an integral part of how I think and create.
- Can you share a little about your creative process?
- When I start working on a piece, I do not know how it will look once it is completed. I like repeating shapes and tend to make works that evolve slowly through repetition, adding the same shape again and again. I spend a lot of time in nature, and my pieces are often inspired by it.
- What do you love most about your profession?
- I love the process of searching and selecting materials, followed by shaping each piece. I feel in flow when I work. I also love being a part of the contemporary jewellery network. I am lucky to be able to work with inspiring, smart and fun people.
Karin Roy Andersson is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2009
Where
Karin Roy Andersson
