EVA VAN KEMPEN
Eva van Kempen (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Eva is an experienced goldsmith and jewellery artivist. One part of her eclectic practice focuses on craft heritage and filigree, an ancient ornamental jewellery specialisation. In response to the impending extinction of this time-consuming technique in the Netherlands, and building on a recent resurgence of interest in craft inspired by the global lockdown, Eva has launched The | https://www.instagram.com/the_filigree_ambassador/|Filigree Ambassador project|. In lieu of mourning the loss of tradition in the face of technological change, the designer steers the practice of filigree towards hobbyism and amateurism. She chooses to socialize filigree knowledge-production and emphasise its meditative aspects over a sellable end product. Practising an intangible cultural heritage while engaging in a new form of self-care in today’s fast-paced society, can provide people with a sense of place and purpose, which can be beneficial to their well-being. Eva recently received start-up funding by Creative Industries Fund NL to jumpstart The Filigree Embassy, an online open source platform on filigree in Dutch. At HEM, Eva offers a five minute one-on-one basic filigree experience as an introduction to the project. This is done by combining oral history with technical instruction, while respecting social distancing and disinfecting points of touch.