Arts Thread

In a time of filters, algorithms, and ever fewer real encounters, it is becoming increasingly difficult to read facial expressions. Having long struggled with this myself, I chose to turn inward. In this project, my own face becomes both material and messenger in the search for how emotions and memories can be embodied in jewelry. The starting point is psychologist Paul Ekman’s theory of six so-called “basic and universal” emotions: happiness, anger, fear, surprise, disgust, and sadness. By evoking these expressions in my own face, I have, through 3D scanning and printing, created contemporary cameos inspired by the historical jewelry type that traditionally features idealized female portraits in profile, often carved in shell or stone in relief. In my versions, the expressions are exaggerated and emotionally charged. Each face/cameo is framed by digitally assembled memory objects from my childhood, a single earring, a star-shaped potato chip, a plastic figurine, and more... These objects act as emotional building blocks and give form to what is often difficult to express with words. Together, the works ask how emotions can still be read, shared, and felt, turning jewelry into both a vessel of expression and a conversation starter. The project moves between traditional craft and digital technology. I work with both silversmithing and 3D printing to strengthen the tension between expression and function. I have also created a large wooden frame where the viewer can place themselves and become part of the work: a live cameo. Vultus et anima is an exploration of the inner and the outer, where the digital meets the handmade, and where emotions are captured in six wearable pieces of jewelry and an interactive installation. Materials: Silver, resin, mica powder, titanium, pigment, flocking fiber, pine wood.