International group exhibition
contemporary jewelry art

The association Plattform Schmuckkunst is organising an international group exhibition for the fourth time this year.

Under the title Goosebumps, 20 selected works by international jewellery artists will be shown.

The opening will take place on Saturday 28.09.2024 from 5 p.m. in the premises of the Plattform Schmuckkunst association at Mariahilferplatz 3, 8020 Graz. On 29 September 2024 at 7 pm there will be a guided tour of the exhibition via Instagram livestream. Afterwards, the opening video and photos of the works will also be available on the association's website. The exhibition can be visited on site from 28.09. - 26.10.2024.

The exhibition explores the causes and triggers of goose bumps from different angles — hrough tactile, visual, and mental stimulation of this bodily reaction.
Direct skin contact with the jewelry can be specifically used as an external stimulus by experi-menting with the choice and shape of the materials and certain wearing positions.

In this way, touch and sensations on the skin can trigger intense feelings such as excitement, stress, fear, disgust, or pleasure.

Irrespective of this, such reactions can also be triggered by a purely visual or contextual stimulus.

© Photos - All rights are reserved by the respective owner.

From the "Divieto di caccia / No Hunting" collection, where there are jewels that reproduce deformed 
bladed weapons to be worn, I decided to present you this bracelet. 
After having done a small survey among friends and acquaintances,

it turned out that the idea of wearing it makes you imagine that it could hurt or cut,

closing suddenly, guaranteed shivers and goosebumps.

Trap

bracelet

aluminium

As a child, I would bring my hand close to my chest when I felt insecure during moments of emotional intensity,

as a way to comfort myself.

Some of these episodes were accompanied by signals, like goosebumps, as a physical manifestation of my emotions.

Shaped like an hourglass a visual figure I associate with the feminine touch of ease the brass pendant acts as a second skin,

transforming goosebumps from a fleeting reaction into a permanent one.

It rests on the sternum and hangs from a neck pillow made of white cotton fabric and feathers, inviting the wearer to experience a moment of comfort and calm. Despite the ambiguity that this skin reaction means, this piece is a reminder to myself to feel safe and confident with my body language and its hidden intuition.

Intuition

neckpiece

brass, cotton fabric, feathers, snap button

A neck-piece made of striped cotton cloth held between two pieces of steel mesh,

all held in place by a black thread going through drilled steel plates and sterling silver elements.

The object was created by tying, fastening and assembling which constitutes the main aesthetic of the object and the ability to take it apart and reassemble it.

The cloth in the center of the piece is known as "Flannelit" (loosely translated to ‘small flannel’) and is a piece of cloth used by soldiers in the Israeli military for cleaning their service weapons.

It is also unofficially used to cover the eyes of Palestinian detainees and prisoners when they are being held under arrest.

The name of the piece: “Enough to Cover Your Eyes”, refers directly to the action of covering Palestinian detainees’ eyes.

In addition, the title is directed to the observer and makes them an accomplice in the act of covering the eyes.

The observer can simultaneously be a detainee getting their eyes covered, or be a soldier averting their eyes to the violation of human rights and war crimes being committed.

Enough To Cover Your Eyes

neckpiece

steel, cotton cloth, stearling silver, polyester thread

Chilled, vigilant, uncertain. I am adrift in the cold unknown.

 In this stumbling, humming darkness I turn to memory.

The feel of my mother’s strong, warm grasp – a sensation to last a lifetime.

Fingers curl into palm, slowly squeeze.

She is with me.

She never left.

Her protection endures. Warmth slowly spreads.

This is a story of touch, of finding a path home through darkness and the unknown.

Memory flickers, offers hope.

Grasp it, let the tips of your fingers embrace it.

Feel the weight of this reality on your palm, in your hand.

Skin softens, smooths. Thoughts of safety made solid, grow into something new – let go the vigilance.

Hold, be held.

Hold.Be Held

ring

bronze ring, bronze raising object, copper bowl, graffiti paint (bowl, raiser)

The association of goosebumps both with strong emotion and horripilation marks them as both an admission of fear and a form of protection.

In Mourning in Orange (Objects for the 21st Century American Victorian), the haunting specter of gun violence is presented in a series of anonymous memorials that take on a talismanic quality through the act of holding and wearing.

Traditionally, mourning jewelry is unique to the person being mourned and the person doing the mourning, yet the work presented here is by its very nature reproduceable, turning the act of mourning into something common to the point of banality.

The valuable materials typically selected for mourning jewelry are replaced with materials and processes associated with fast fashion.

In this way, Mourning in Orange references authenticity but is disconnected from it: similar to the way that American discourse surrounding gun violence is woefully abstracted from the actual loss of life.

Mourning in Orange IV

brooch

3d printed plastic, synthetic hair, resin

Touch me

The skin, a living canvas, trembles with the electric urgency and pores are highlighted, each heartbeat a drum,

each breath a whispered symphony.

A delicate interplay of sensations where tiny peaks of emotion rise in response,

a vestige of our evolutionary past, echoing ancestral survival mechanisms.
Our pores form a bridge between the inner self and the outer world,

interpret incoming information and translate it into chills and reactions bubbling on our skin´s surface.    
My work becomes a narrative, transforming these fleeting sensatory explosions into lasting expressions of human connection, illustrating how deeply intertwined our physical and emotional responses are.

Touch Me

necklace

cast porcelain, leather strap, plastic closure

‘Horny? It’s a date!’ exemplifies Rachael’s playful approach to the transformation of fruity food waste (discarded fruit pits and peels) into precious and valued wearable artefacts.

The brooch re-presents date pits as a small-scale vegan alternative to horn,

fashioning them to create a decorative round-repeat edging to set a circle of pimpled ‘sha-green’ (denatured citrus fruit peel),

developed as a sustainable dupe for the luxury leather shagreen (ray or shark skin).

The brooch comes alive when worn, emitting a subtle fruity fragrance when warmed by the body,

stimulating a reciprocal sensory reaction.

The artefact’s limited lifespan highlights the fleeting and complex nature of human existence,

suggesting the ultimate end that conventional jewellery circumvents through its endurance.

Horny? It´s a date!

brooch

denatured citrus fruit peel, date stones, pearl, stainless steel

It is a jewel that gives me goosebumps because it tells and testifies that every day children are killed and die in many parts of the world, every day many children lose the opportunity of one more spring.

No more springs

brooch

hot enamel on cooper, nickel silver, pink pompoms and steel wire

Toxic Touch explores the visceral and psychological effects of dysfunctional relationships.

The delicate filaments, made from a blend of chewing gum and adhesive, elicit a primal response from the viewer.
These stringy connections evoke unease, mirroring the stifling bonds that entangle individuals in unhealthy partnerships.

Their fragility triggers a reflexive „goosebump“ reaction, highlighting the emotional toll of such relationships.
Encased in a glass bezel, the hands - once intertwined but now apart - symbolize the struggle to break free from a crippling grasp.

Cast in bronze and fired to a muted, poisonous hue, they emphasize the toxic nature of the relationship.

The tension in the filaments between the hands illustrates the dynamics at play, prompting viewers to consider how identities are subsumed and autonomy compromised in toxic connections.

Toxic Touch

neckpiece

bronze, brass wire and chenier, crystal glass, chewing gum, shoe contact adhesive, clay

Wearing alabaster may seem ridiculous.

But what about wearing someone else‘s skin?
That goes far beyond ridiculous and it would surely be dreadful to most people.

And yet, wearing leather does not seem to be disturbing enough to make people imagine the horror felt in that same skin.

The goosebumps that for sure felt a million times their actual owners are not seen nor felt at all by most of the wearers.
And perhaps because we usually think of it as a garment rather than as an organ of a living being, it appears so difficult to empathize.

But this is not about clothes, of course.

Reflecting on how we mistreat and use other animals for any purpose may be very useful to analyze the mechanics of human abuse of any being that some of them decided to randomly call ‚inferior‘ at some point of history.
And that is what the piece (NO) FEELING aims to trigger, a reflection on all the pain that not empathizing with the others - not feeling their goosebumps too - may cause.

(NO) FEELING

neckpiece
alabaster, silver and ribbon

As someone who is adopted, people always ask me if I want to know my biological family, travel back to Colombia...

But I was way to young to remember anything else than the life I know.

When I‘m asked these questions, most of the time my answer is a simple „no“.
A while ago, my mom told me she sometimes feels guilty for ‚taking‘ me and my siblings away from our birth country by adopting us... Hearing this was an intense experience for myself;

getting shivers and goosebumps from an emotional response rather than a physical one.

This side to an adoption is ofthen forgotten.
These pieces remind me of an intensly warm youth.

Of when I was young and wanted to help my mom when she was repairing and ironing clothes and I could „help“ her by sewing together old handkerchiefs.

Needless to say, this resulted in completely random stitching and ironing...

I want these pieces to be a symbol of gratitude.

Mend31
brooch
cotton handkerchiefs, sewing thread, steel, stuffing

With this work, I want to highlight how wearing jewelry affects our bodies.

How must we adapt to our jewelry, and how far are we willing to go to wear a particular piece?

With this ring, the wearer suddenly becomes aware of how they move their hands.

The horns are sharp, and there is a risk of injuring someone, or something.

This brings about a body awareness that most of us are not used to.

Suddenly, our own movements are in full focus.

The body must adapt both to this new part of itself and to the surrounding space.

Jewel-ry is not just a beautiful addition to our attire; it also helps us open our eyes to ourselves.

Does it make you feel powerful, or does it make you uneasy?

Rhinoceros
ring
sterling silver

„Reveal“ is a brooch designed to highlight the scars often hidden under clot-hing.

It explores the intimate narratives individuals share with their skin and challenges the conventional boundaries between jewellery

and the body.

Un-like traditional jewellery forms that often present a perfected identity,

this pie-ce fosters confidence and genuine self-expression with our body.
„Reveal“ engages with the theme of ‘Goosebumps’ Exhibition by potentially triggering feelings of fear and discomfort.

This aims to challenge the viewer to reevaluate the beauty of the skin’s diverse appearances.

The unique attach-ment sets a scar on the outside of the cloth,

creating the illusion that the vie-wer is seeing through the fabric to the skin beneath.

The inner part is crafted with laminated silver sheets, high-polished acrylic, and printed photographs of skin textures,

while the outer catch is made of sterling silver with a matte finish.

Reveal
brooch
sterling silver, clear acrylic, printed photo on paper

In the exhibition «Goosebumps,» Vincent Isabel’s «Piece Of Mind»

confronts how privilege can ignore violence and challenges viewers to reflect on their relationship to it.

Crafted from bullet cases salvaged from a scrapyard in so- called «Vancouver,» Canada,

this headpiece uses armoury techniques crea-ting a veil obscuring the wearer’s eyes.

The contrast between the material charge of bullets,

their embelishment and the protective symbolism of armor evokes visceral reactions shaped by the viewer’s personal associations

with its imagery.

Piece of Mind
headpiece
bullet cases and iron wire

A beetle’s dance upon my skin,
A whisper light, a shiver thin,
Its tiny steps, a soft alarm,
Awakens goosebumps, cool and calm. A trace of fear, a fleeting thrill,
As nature’s touch bends to my will,
Yet in that moment, still and deep,
The smallest creature stirs my sleep.

Beetle’s dance upon my skin
bracelet
copper, enamel, elastic string

„Another Skin“ delves into the relationship between sensation and compulsion, grounded in the notion that the sensations we accrue through our bodies intertwine to shape our sense of self.

The artwork encapsulates the idea that while familiar experiences may afford us a sense of sensory stability,

compulsion arises when that familiarity gives way to new stimuli.
Visualizing the cyclical interplay of sensation and compulsion, „Another Skin“ symbolically portrays the process of encountering diverse sensations daily and shedding layers to unveil fresh ones.

The piece provides viewers with an opportunity to engage with and understand the dynamic between sensation and compulsion, offering a fresh perspective on our everyday experiences and psychological dynamics.

Another Skin
ring
latex, sterling silver

 have long been interested in reconsidering the value and aesthetics of everyday objects.

Influenced by my hypersensitivity and the ASMR phenomenon, my central theme has become tactility and intuitive associations.

In Exuvia, I intentionally used Band-Aids to evoke mixed feelings in observers.

The universal experience of having a Band-Aid ensures an instant physical and visceral reaction.

Exuvia is a series of amorphous corporeal pieces without a body.

It‘s a lightweight, flexible, semi-creational structure — a chain of Band-Aids that dazzles perception and camouflages the original material. The Band-Aid skin tones embody wounds, scars, and vulnerability.

If it evokes pain, it also instills hope for healing and overcoming.

Exuvia
neckpiece
fabric plasters

Magdalena Maślerz expresses herself not only by metal but also by using animal bones.

For her precious materials of animal origin are not only ivory, pearls and tortoiseshell.

In her jewelry you will find bones of other species like roe deer, cats, dogs, geese,

fish and other materials of animal origin like crabs, hooves and horns.
A clutch bag crafted from two crab shells features gold-plated brass, steel gold-plated screws, and a hand-sewn maroon velvet interior.

This one-of-a-kind accessory not only turns heads with its bold design but also sparks conversations about environmental ethics and sustainability, leaving a lasting impression and perhaps even a chill down your spine.

Crab clutch bag
bag
atlantic crabs shells, gold plated brass and steel, epoxy resin, velvet

People can rapidly and accurately identify three-dimensional objects by touch.

However it is not always possible to touch the object directly with the hands.

Extended physiological proprioception is a concept pioneered in the 1970s and it refers to the ability to perceive by using the tip of a tool. Proprioceptors in the muscles and joints with cutaneous receptors of the skin identify

and manage contacts between the body and the world.
My haptic tools are mediators that can be used to identify three-dimensional objects.

The shape of each object corresponds to one of the 4 exploratory procedures that have been identified so far: lateral motion, pressure, enclosure and contour following.

The tools carry contradictory sensations.

They offer the reassuring feeling that it is possible to feel and identify even indirectly from the distance, however, with their unconventional appearance, they give varied feelings when touching the skin.

©Roskó Mária

Haptic stick a piece from a set of haptic tools
hand-object
patinated copper, hand-carved fluorescent acrylic sheet

3 years ago I was living on a wine farm in Montfrin (France) and ended up in a sea of fire.

And luckily i was able to escape via a shortcut.

The heat and noise were deafening. This is what war should look like.

Due to the stress, fear and urge to survive, my entire body was in overdrive, survival mode.

I‘ve had this feeling before in my life, but never this intensely.

2 days later I was able to return to the place and went exploring.

The second time I got this feeling, understanding what you escaped from.

the total destruction of the environment.

The ring I made is with a piece of wood that I found and was not completely burned.

A sign of reconstruction and healing/power of nature.

Goosbumps
ring
burnt wood, plexiglass, rusted iron