The first flashback from the last fashion residency in Milan

Discovering hidden corners of Italian bigiotteria history

Patricia is a jewellery designer and visual artist, originally from Hungary. She is interested in the function of jewellery that celebrates the human body. During last year’s residency in Milan, she explored contemporary jewellery and accessories. We couldn’t resist asking her a few personal questions about the residency.

 

What was the project you worked on in Milan about?

My project is based on theoretical research – comprehensive research of Italian bigiotteria, its historical and local interpretation. I have also explored the topicality of this theme through contemporary jewellery. The project also includes my own reflection, in which I respond to the researched topic with my own artistic language.

 

What do you appreciate about the residency you did in Milan?

It’s hard to single one thing out, but for me the most exciting and rewarding thing has been taking a small step outside of my field into the broader field of fashion. Thanks to the courses I took at ACM, I was able to learn more about textiles, the history of Italian fashion and different materials. I was also able to learn about the history of local jewellery, exhibitions and private collections. With a new passion, I immersed myself in Milan’s vintage goods market, which allowed me to connect with the locals on a deeper level than I normally would have. It was nice to work on my topic without constraints, with the support of professors and experts from ACM.

What was your most powerful experience during your stay?

I visited a tiny town near Parma, Casalmaggiore, where you can find an outstanding collection of not only Italian, but also various bijou collections from the last century. The exhibition and the place felt so peculiar to me – especially after busy Milan – that I think it was one of the most special days of my residency. The collection is rarely visited. I felt like a ghost rummaging through the past century’s jewellery. I could really pay special attention to each piece. I spent the whole day in the town and in the museum’s library, where the reference books were helpful to my research. During my tour of the exhibition, I was also allowed to visit restricted section where I could see some very special and historically important pieces.

Overall, the most important thing is that I could learn about a topic that is a bit far from my own perspective. To find in them a wealth of decoded information beyond the aesthetics represented by the bigiotteria of the last century. Like a time capsule. The most powerful experience for me was the way I was able to see behind the scenes of the work and how the process changed my perspective.

How successful was the preparation of your intended contemporary jewellery collection during the residency?

The planned jewellery collection ended up as an accessory collection. Which spans across a broader direction of fashion. I feel the work I made at the residency is successful because it evokes the bigiotteria while responding to it with a critical tone, using unconventional materials which is a speciality of mine. The collection I made during the residency is an important starting point. I am still working on parts of it and I would like to present it soon in different events and exhibitions.