Absolute Harmony – Metal Forms by Ulla & Martin Kaufmann

Personally my connection to jewellery as a craft is not that strong, but my fascination with form has led me to the work of Ulla and Martin Kaufmann, a husband and wife duo who have a keen sense for design, dedicating their metalworking career to the pursuit of only the essential in design.

One of the main reasons why I was so taken aback by their work is the Kaufmann’s ability to masquerade an object that’s so visually attached to an image in our mind, for example a ring or necklace, and then distort this in a contemporary manner. Still keeping the functional aspect of the design but using skill, experience and know-how to strip back and reduce all the elements, making an object ‘less but better’, but still beautiful.

Sharing an atelier in Hildesheim, Germany these works are a coming together of two great minds. Reading their bio I was most inspired by their fascination with the design world, often visiting galleries and exhibitions for continuous inspiration. The Kaufmann’s also note their interest in having their “own standards”, freeing themselves from the traditional modes of thought and breaking free of any attachments to the age-old techniques and concepts so deeply rooted in this craft.

To make something that feels complete doesn’t just require knowledge, it’s the philosophy, way of life, the maker’s complete being that transfers everything back through to the form itself. Let’s all be on the pursuit for absolute harmony and share this with the rest of the world.

ulla-martin-kaufmann.de

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