Exhibition "Stone in Estonian Jewellery" in Estonian Embassy

08.06.2009 - 31.08.2009

STONE IN ESTONIAN JEWELLERY

Exhibition in Estonian Embassy, Helsinki
8 June – 2 September, 2009

Exhibition compiled by Kersti Koll and Ülle Kruus
Exhibition designed by Anu Paal

Huge boulders and sea-washed pebbles, limestone fossils or roadside cobbles are sure to catch your eye with their might and exceptional variety of form and colour. These impressions are often caught on photos, used in landscaping and the smallest specimen are sometimes brought home as keepsakes.

Local natural stone was first used in Estonian professional design jewellery at the end of the 1950’s. The intense 1960’s, when great shifts took place in Estonian applied art, introduced new, plain forms and novel materials in local designer jewellery.

One of the first to use natural stone in making ornaments was Adamson-Eric (Erich Carl Hugo Adamson, 1902–1968). Adamson-Eric, above all a painter, was a versatile experimental artist, who generated avant-garde ideas in almost all spheres of applied art.

The exhibition ‘Stones in Estonian Jewellery’ held at the Adamson-Eric Museum in 2008 is now in Helsinki at the Estonian Embassy at a slightly smaller scale. This exhibition presents an overview of the use this very own and location-specific material by Estonian jewellery designers from the 1960’s until today.

In addition to Adamson-Eric, the stone-inspired jewellery by Viivi Aavik, Mari Käbin, Tiina Käesel, Urve Küttner, Lilian Linnaks, Kadri Mälk, Anu Paal, Helge Pihelga, Ane Raunam, Anne Roolaht, Juta Vahtramäe, Harvi Varkki, Kertu Vellerind and Raili Vinn are exposed.

The display demonstrates the variety of ways of using stone as a material, the evolution of form and concepts in time and the value of stone as a symbol in its own right.  Different stones are exposed on opposite shores of the Bay of Finland which have become symbols of identity for the two kindered nations.  The national stone of Estonia is limestone, in Finland it is granite.

Geologists helped to establish the specific types of stone used by the artists. The most common natural stones found in Estonia – granite, gneiss, gabbro, rapakivi-granite, pegmatite, migmatite and quartz-porphyry – are introduced together with jewellery on the photos by Tõnis Saadre, accompanied by Tõnu Oja’s texts.

We are hoping that different interpretations of natural stones captured as jewels and objects besides magnificent photos of mighty boulders with charming microscopic world within rocks will offer inspiration to our viewers.

Welcome!
Kersti Koll and Ülle Kruus

Supporters:
Finish Design Museum
Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design
Estonian Ministry of Culture
Estonian Foreign Ministry