In a unique fusion of fine art and contemporary jewellery design, Italian duo JAD (Jewellery Art Design) presents a thought-provoking exhibition of ‘concept jewellery’ inspired by undersea creatures, quantum physics, human consciousness and the nature of reality. In the lead up to Southern Depths and Northern Lights at Malta Society of Arts, JAD artists Gioia and Ivano talk about their craft and what inspires them.

Gioia and Ivano, what is the story behind your partnership and how you ended up in Malta?

Gioia: “We met in Italy, where we opened our first studio together. We are an artistic duo as well as a couple, but we first met as colleagues. I was a psychotherapist and Ivano has always worked as a goldsmith and stone setter. We both loved contemporary jewellery, art and design.”

Ivano: “We were living in a small, beautiful village between Umbria and Tuscany, but it was probably a bit too small for our work. We visited friends in Malta and decided to give it a try here. I came in 2015, Gioia at the end of 2016.”

Since arriving in Malta, Gioia and Ivano have been very active, taking part in regular exhibitions and events. In 2018, along with fifty other artists, they took part in Allura’s open studio tour, The Trail, and in 2019 they placed third in the Negroni 100 Art Competition by Campari. They are members of the Malta Society of Arts and presented two installations at the annual MSA Members Exhibitions of 2018 and 2019. They are also members of Malta Crafts Council, the Allura Creative Directory, Malta Creative Collective, and are participating merchants in the The MACC (The Malta Arts and Culture Club).

Silver organic neckpiece

Where can we find you and your jewellery?

“We have a home-studio, where we spend most of our time. It is a workshop environment so it is mostly not open to clients, but our pieces are available to buy at different shops in Malta. One is Find the Door, a new shared space for artisans and artists in Birgu. We are at the Salt & C. concept stores in Ta’ Xbiex and the Phoenicia Hotel in Valletta and we are also online with our website www.jad-jewellery.com.”

How would you describe your jewellery and is there a specific technique or philosophy which informs your work?

“At JAD we make contemporary statement jewellery. We mainly use upcycled silver and pure silver or extra thin coloured copper wires. The sense of nature is important in our production; we want the metal itself to be evident and recognisable as a natural element, so we love silver with irregular surfaces. With the wires we mainly produce light-weight, semi-transparent jewellery, both silver and colourful pieces.

A different perception of jewellery, not only as a sort of rich adornment, but also as an object which tells a story or evokes an emotion… a drop of dreams and deep thought

“All our jewellery is handmade, mixing traditional jewellery-making techniques with those we have personally developed. We think it is important to have a small, curated production, since quality is fundamental, even for the simplest of our pieces. It is a real pleasure for us when people love our jewels, but even more so when they describe them as different.”

Silver and silver-plated copper wire brooches inspired by deep sea vitreous sponges and sea anemone.

The upcoming exhibition at Malta Society of Arts presents the latest intriguing pieces from a continually evolving portfolio. The collection is inspired by “the delicate creatures and glass sponges living under Antarctica”; subject matter not usually seen by the human eye, but which has been revealed to us by deep sea photography and videography.

But the fascination for JAD is about more than just aesthetic beauty. Quantum physicists have proposed a theory that we, as humans, are not merely observers of reality, but that we actually create it. However, the notion that human consciousness directly manifests solid matter does not appear to fit when it comes to that which exists prior to our awareness or observation of it. It is precisely this paradox which ignited Gioia and Ivano’s interest. They use this previously unseen flora and fauna to embody the “apparent contrast between the human perception of a solid reality and the possibility that reality itself might be purely a creation of the observer.”

Still-frame from underwater video from The Antarctic Division of the Australian Department of the Environment and Energy.

Gioia and Ivano, can you tell us a bit about the new exhibition, how it came about and the concept behind the show?

“This is our first conceptual jewellery solo exhibition. A conceptual jewel is a piece of art which involves the use of the customer’s body. The idea comes first, and in the making it is guided by the concept. Sometimes it means that the wearability is not totally preserved, although personally we prefer to keep it as much as possible. The person who wears that jewel is in some way adding something to it, not the contrary, and this is important. Of course, not all our jewellery is like that and our daily production is more ‘easy-wear’, but we use the same techniques for both our more commercial jewellery and the pieces for the exhibition.

Ring with blue topazes and silver necklace

“The idea behind the show comes from a very unique photo we happened to see, of sea-floor creatures living under Antarctica. We later discovered that it was a still-frame of a video taken by the Antarctic Division of the Australian Department of the Environment and Energy. It showed a delicate, hidden and fascinating world that no human had ever seen before, where beings have been living their quiet existence for ages, completely beyond our knowledge. We usually think of the North and South Poles as endless extensions of ice and snow; cold, white, shiny and surrounded by dangerous waters. But that photo showed a different, and apparently contrasting, place which we had until then perceived quite differently. The idea of those creatures existing outside of our awareness in such a strange place was really fascinating, and we thought it would be a good idea to make some jewels on the subject.

Silver-plated copper wire piece inspired by deep sea vitreous sponges

“For several years now our work has been inspired by perceptions of reality. As humans, we believe the world around us is solid and existing independently from us. This is probably not true, as quantum physics suggests that our consciousness might be influencing, or even building, what we call reality.

For the exhibition we have created imaginary deep sea creatures and frozen surfaces. We have used the visual contrast between two different textures; wire and solid silver, to represent the contrast between our perception of a solid physical reality and its ephemeral essence, which is ever-changing, elusive and probably not as steady as we think.”

Ernest Haeckel’s glass sponges.

What kind of impact would you like your jewellery to achieve and how would you like your new work to be received?

“We would be happy to suggest a different perception of jewellery, not only as a sort of rich adornment, but also as an object which tells a story or evokes an emotion, both from the artist and the person wearing it.

“We also hope visitors to the show will be moved to take home a small piece of this amazing world of suggestions and emotions: a drop of dreams and deep thought.”

The JAD exhibition Southern Depths and Northern Lights opens at the Malta Society of Arts on January 15 at 7pm and runs until February 5. For information visit www.jad-jewellery.com or find JAD on Facebook or Instagram. A discount of 15 per cent is available on JAD jewellery at https://themacc.mt