Won over by stone
- Tarja makes jewellery using stone including recycled marble
- Getting to know a 'new' stone takes her time, sometimes years
- For her, tradition is a stepping stone to contemporary jewellery
Tarja Tuupanen has worked with stone for more than 20 years. For her, it is not just a material, but rather a starting point, something to discover and get to know. It was not love at first sight – quite the contrary. She even tried to avoid stone and preferred other materials like bone. However, stone finally won her over with its appearance, cultural references and values. Tarja studied jewellery and stone carving both in Finland and in Sweden – along with pedagogy, since she also teaches her profession. However, she considers education to have two sides to it: being skilled can take you to areas you couldn’t otherwise enter; but skills can also narrow one’s creative expression.
Interview
- Why did you choose stone?
- At first I found stone clumsy and boring. The material opened up to me step by step. As my skills improved I realised you can manipulate stone any way you want; boundaries don’t exist. The process of discovering stone as a material took about five years.
- Why jewellery?
- The thesis for my BA studies in 1999 was a real starting point. I realised I was able to create unique jewellery. The thesis got me into Gallery Marzee's graduation show and a solo show in the gallery. A few years later I rented a workspace.
- How is stone linked to your homeland?
- The roots of stone-related education in south-east Finland are in Ylämaa, a village where people found a stone, spectrolite, in the 1980s. A stone craft school was established because of that material. Today you can specialise in stone in the fine arts department of the university in Lappeenranta.
- How would you define your work?
- I create three-dimensional artworks within the context of contemporary jewellery and art. The pieces exist on the body or in its vicinity. My starting point is stone. I have a 'relationship' with it; it is my inspiration. A theme comes later, often from the material itself.
Tarja Tuupanen is a master artisan: she began her career in 1999 and she started teaching in 2006
Works
Where
Tarja Tuupanen
