Vica Gabor (she/her)
I have spent four years as a mature student in the silversmithing and jewellery designer department, and during this period, the design process became a substantial part of my everyday life, and my daily life became the theme of my projects. Whenever I feel that a project is successful, it means that I managed to understand something new about myself. Through this understanding, I can connect with others and understand our society better.
Within the process, I comprehend certain aspects of life – it is self-learning in many ways, and my main interest is to explore our human experience through this medium. The essence of my last four years of study at the Glasgow School of Art is that I learnt to allow myself into the unknown. Stepping away from my comfort zone, I am able to allow chance to be part of the creative process. I want to investigate how I can blur the borders between jewellery and sculpting, collages, and written words.
I enjoy this in-betweenness of art and design, the unique connection to the body and the complex relationship between wearer, maker and viewer. I am interested in how jewellery can be a tool for a conversation. Seeing how an object can provoke dialogue and how it can ask questions is an integral part of my work.
Choices
The jewellery showcased at the graduation show ‘Choices.’ is a product of a journey of exploration into the intricate concepts of belonging and its antithesis, not belonging. The aim is to capture the essence of what ‘home’ truly means using forms and colours that convey feelings associated with the chosen topic.
The importance of freedom, learning to allow oneself into the unknown and stepping away from one’s comfort zone allowing chance to be part of the creative process, is an integral part of the concept. This necessitated that using alternative solutions to the jewellery, such as wearability and the connection of different parts, become a crucial design element.
Precious (recycled silver) and non-precious elements (copper, lacquer paint) are used simultaneously. The past and the present are blurred as silver, sourced from scrap pieces collected throughout the years, was melted and reimagined into new pieces. Also, space is expressed ambiguously in its positive and negative facets and, in most pieces, it is what is cut and left out that becomes the central focus. In the realm of art and design, in-betweenness allows for the exploration of the unique connection between the body, the wearer, the maker, and the viewer. Through my work, I encourage dialogue and ask questions using jewellery as a tool for conversation.
Design Process
Choosing a theme that is relevant to my everyday life allowed me to connect with the process of creating objects on a deeper level. As I worked on each piece, I was constantly reminded of the importance of belonging and not belonging in my own life. This state of mind and state of creation made the process of creating each object a meaningful and reflective experience.
For example, as I created a piece that represented a sense of belonging, I thought about the people and places that made me feel at home. Similarly, as I constructed a piece that embodied a sense of not belonging, I thought about the times when I felt like an outsider or disconnected from my surroundings.
Through this ongoing dialogue with the theme of belonging and not belonging, I was able to create a collection of objects that not only defined my personal experiences but also had a universal appeal. Making each piece became a journey of self-discovery and a way to connect with others who may have similar experiences.
At first, I titled the project simply “Home” because the theme of belonging was represented by the various forms of homes I was creating. However, as I continued to work on the pieces, I began to call them “Choice Number 1”, “Choice Number 2”, and so on. This shift from “Home” to “Choice” represents a change in my perspective.
Initially, my focus was on the physical concept of home and how it relates to belonging. However, as I delved deeper into the theme, I began to realise that the idea of home is not always a physical place. Sometimes, the choice to belong or not belong is within our control, and it is up to us to make the right decision.
So, by calling the pieces “Choice Number 1”, “Choice Number 2”, and so on, I was representing the idea that our sense of belonging is not always predetermined, and we have the power to make choices that shape our lives. This shift in perspective allowed me to explore the theme of belonging in a more nuanced and complex way.
Portfolio Images
Creating jewellery is a complex journey; most of the time, when I feel that a project is successful, I understand something new about myself. Through this understanding, I can connect with others and understand our society. Within the process, I comprehend certain aspects of life- it is self-learning in many ways, and my main interest is to explore our human experience through this medium. One of my achievements is that I can go into the unknown. Stepping away from my comfort zone, I allow chance to be part of the creative process. I want to investigate how I can blur the borders between jewellery and sculpting, collages, and written words.
I enjoy this in-betweenness of art and design, the unique connection to the body and the complex relationship between wearer, maker and viewer. I am interested in how jewellery can be a tool for a conversation. Seeing how an object can provoke dialogue and how it can ask questions is an integral part of my work.
I am looking for abstract ways to express the emotion of belonging – not belonging, expressing the meanings of being an outsider and what it means to be displaced from your place of origin. My subject matter is often looking at the border of liberation and imprisonment within ourselves.
Living my everyday curiously is my interest.
Recently I discovered the works of Eva Hesse. She created something in-between painting and sculpting. Looking at her work, I am inspired to see how my work can blur the borders between various disciplines. I am experimenting with how I can create three-dimensional wearable pieces based on my drawings. My sketchbooks are a significant part of my process, and I am looking for ways to exhibit this voyage together with the final pieces.
In the future, I want to establish a space, a platform of contemporary jewellery where people can collaborate, exhibit, research, and teach. I want to provide opportunities and educational support for young people and emerging artist to start their journey in this field.
Sketchbooks
A sketchbook is where I collect notes and jot down shapes. I frequently use mark-making and mixed media with collages and relevant texts of that specific period. It is a workbook that carries my projects’ thinking and developing process. As I had never been confident in drawing, I overcame my fear by creating collages and other visual elements. I have come to understand that I use sketchbooks to document and represent my visual journey. I am secure in my compositional decisions, which is a crucial element in my sketchbook work. I use my sketchbooks to bind with the briefs and develop a deeper connection with a theme I am working on.
Occasionally I make pages in my book without any thinking, very spontaneously, and in the end I connect the threads: it gives me answers or clues to my question about the development method. I can expand an idea and be very playful in this two-dimensional creative thinking space: a safe space for different compositions, also in terms of colour, and various ways of organising or disorganising elements, using notes and diagrams.
In a way, I use it for understanding a project, my thinking, and my feelings about it. In the end, it is a reflection of a particular period: it shows how I responded to a topic, what my mood was at that time, and which questions interested me. I have understood how critical this is to my practice. It is perhaps not just a tool but part of the work itself. An essential element for self-understanding, a safe space, a connection, and a way of expression.
