Angela Tölken

Philosophy:In my work I concern myself with self-representation, identity and value, often from an innately temporal perspective. Central to my explorations are questions such as: How is my identity shaped and represented by what I do, and what forms of value can be attributed to both the process and the outcome? Throughout my entire creative practice it is vitally important for me to engage in activities that resonate with me: Everything I do 'has to be me'. I am careful to invest my time in a deeply fulfilling and rewarding way, thereby inscribing every jewellery piece with a substantial amount of often imperceptible value. Since time and (Self)fulfilment through it are central elements to my philosophy, I usually find myself utilizing repetition (be it formally or technically) and labour-intensive processes as corner stones for my creative work. Both these key elements have a meditative effect on me and often allow me to distil hitherto unnoticed facets of my Self. Work in general:My work reveals my fascination with colour, texture, pattern, rhythm, movement, contrasts, systems and nature. There tends to be a finely balanced tension between the organic and the geometrical, the confined and the open-ended, the serious and the light-hearted, the intellectual and the emotional. The work can be read on different levels and there is generally more than meets the unquestioning eye. The tensions, complex amalgamation of various apparent opposites and the onion-like layering are definite attributes of my personality and my work acts as a mirror of my Self. Increasingly I understand my jewellery as auto-biographical self-representations in three dimensions.I design and produce my pieces myself and only create a piece once. All works are manufactured entirely by hand, usually over a period of several days or even weeks. My pieces, as well as my approach to my work tend to resist notions of instant gratification, consumerism, brand movements, mass production and status. The notion of time invested and the often imperceptible value inscribed by it is of special significance in my work.