Sebastian Buescher, from the sandy shores of exotic getaways

«  If you are landlocked, working, or just can’t make it to the beach this summer, at least you can enjoy jewelry collected from the sandy shores of exotic getaways. Sebastian Buescher employs mementos combed from the beaches of Thailand and India » (summer 2010 – Velvet da Vinci Gallery)

Sebastian Buescher – Brooch

Sebastian Buescher – ‘Clown Fury’ brooch – Ceramic, granulex, crab claw, seeds, metal

Sebastian Buescher -  brooch - Wood, porcelain, resin, silver, ceramic components – 2007

Sebastian Buescher – Brooch

« Jewellery isn’t jewellery to me anymore. That may sound strange and foreign, but the term jewellery has become a theme to me and not a discipline. To understand what I mean, I can only say that the human body, decoration and the traditional function of jewellery do not matter to me in my work. What matters to me is meaning and purpose, creating timeless pieces, which mark times in my own life, capturing emotions, thoughts and ideas. If anything, I endeavour to rebel against tradition, against society’s rigid rules and against the mundane structure of the human world, simply because the way the world works does not work for me.
The themes in my work revolve around several sub-themes. In the past these have involved time, natural history, nature, irony, contradiction and the escape from reality into a world where anything can be what it wants to be and nothing has to conform to society’s rigid rules and regulations. More recently, I have been exploring the invisible energy within second hand objects, natural phenomena, such as ghosts, and the meaning and purpose of myself as a human being. What has surfaced through this exploration is a deeper understanding of the world, a raw layer of reality, which is carefully hidden beneath the surface, invisible to the naked eye. What we see is surely not what we get. Quite on the contrary, what we see is only an illusion and my work attempts to question and taunt these, exposing the fleshy reality beneath. «  (Sebastian Buescher)

Sebastian Buescher – « Encrusterium 9″ Brooch & detail

Sebastian Buescher – ‘Octocoralia’ Necklace

Sebastian Buescher -   ring   —     ‘carnivore’ ring   –   ring

Sebastian Buescher – ‘the eye’ brooch  — ‘parasite’ 

Sebastian Buescher – Brooch ‘The Widow Maker’ 2007 – ceramic, black widow spider egg cases, silver, poison, cork

Sebastian Buescher – Ring  – porcelain, crystal, silk thread, agate, amber – 2006

 

« I weave myself into my work, quite literally, with blood, sweat and tears. Reality is being stripped, layer by layer, bit by bit, deconstructed ruthlessly and indefinitely. What you see is no longer what you get and the pristine exterior is a mere paper mask for the fleshy, raw world that slumbers beneath, waiting to be discovered, waiting to be set free.
Imperfection Please is a state of mind, a concept, and not just a theme for a collection of work. Its core consists of experimentation, venturing into new territory, focusing on the process and not getting disappointed because an expected goal is not achieved. And while perfection aims to be perfect, a dangerous game that is destined to fail, imperfection is freedom, completely and totally, unique and unexpected. It is about doing things differently and not conforming to existing standards. Each jewel becomes a fragile reminder that sometimes we can break, that sometimes we cannot pull ourselves together and that sometimes we feel utterly flawed, totally imperfect, in a world that bombards us with images of perfection.
The work plays with ancient relics, ritualistic jewellery, natural processes and absurdity. This is my formula for making work; it makes me want to work. My fascination with ceramics has also grown on this journey, primarily because it felt like the perfect material for the expression of my imperfect ideas. What intrigues me with this material, in combination with jewellery, is that there is a potential expiration date that can, if the jewel is mishandled, come true quite easily. The wearing becomes a ritual, the ritual of awareness, reminding us that sometimes we can break, and that, if we do break, we need to pick ourselves up again and move beyond it.  » (Sebastian Buescher - « Sebastian Buescher – Imperfection Please » exhibition at Rob Koudijs Gallery, 2007)

Sebastian Buescher – brooch – 2007 – Earthenware, silver, limpets, glass

« What inspires your work?
I would say that the primary reason I make my work is because it engages me in a state of pure creativity. This state is a very pleasurable state that allows me to travel far from the mundane, serious everyday world into a world where anything is possible and nothing has to make sense. I like to imagine that what I make is a form of complete, unnecessary nonsense. My jewellery is not made to be worn and things are taken out of their traditional environment and placed in a surreal and absurd landscape. Often times these pieces exhibit irony and contradiction, resulting in work that tests humour and allows the mind of the viewer to make invisible connections, primarily through the recognition of common and everyday elements.
What sort of materials do you use and why? Do you follow any particular concept?
More recently I have been drawn to second hand materials, lost memories, history and death. There is something about the past that intrigues me completely, a fascination verging almost on obsession. It is not about knowing what happened, but more about the past being so far away and utterly unreachable. I also think that there is a great sadness in the past, not necessarily one based on bad memories, but on the simple fact that the past is buried somewhere within us, coated with numerous layers of experience. These concepts and ideas were explored in my most recent collection, entitled White Limbo. White Limbo is my imaginary place for lost or forgotten things.
There also appears to be a formula in my work. Recently I have come to the conclusion that there are three main ingredients to my work, namely experimentation, material and history. They are all linked and cover common ground, but can also exist separately. Experimentation allows me to play with a material, technique or idea. This act of playing explores possibilities and opportunities. The material can be part of the experimentation, but is also something I hunt for on a regular basis, whether in antique markets, supermarkets, ebay, rivers or forests. Sometimes the material, or object, is complete and I have to do nothing more than use it as it is. Other instances make me dissect the object, looking for something I haven’t seen or something that feels meaningful. A lot of these objects are about history, in other words time and experience. Things from the river have been tumbled and washed for maybe a thousand years, trees have grown over centuries and second hand materials have been used, perhaps stolen, lost or given away. This formula is then applied to my ideas and somehow come together as a piece.
Do you plan your pieces beforehand or is yours a more instinctive type of work?
I do not really plan my pieces, they tend to just happen. I start with an initial idea, like a blur. As I progress, I look at what excites me and what doesn’t. I do not wish to spend my time being bored, I can do that whenever I want. I want to feel a fire within me, pleasure rushing through my veins and anticipation to work. I want to look at the finished piece and be inspired and moved to create more. I can get stuck, I can get bored with a piece and as an artist, I will never be able to see what I am really making, as other people are. What I do know, however, is that this work is my life. It has moved from a hobby to become my livelihood, my passion, my dreams and my desires and this is something I will continue for as long as I will live. » (interview by Alternatives Gallery)

il peut aussi faire ça ………… et là, comment dire, j’accroche moins … surtout « the worm ring » !

Sebastian Buescher’s conceptual contemporary jewelry…

 

SHOP online at Alternatives Gallery