Eva van Kempen, Art Jewellery

Eva van Kempen is an experienced goldsmith and jewellery artivist. One part of her eclectic practice focuses on craft heritage and filigree, an ancient ornamental wire jewellery specialisation.

During a master at Sandberg Instituut (Rietveld Academy) she conducted field research on the state of filigree in the Netherlands and in China. 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, van Kempen has launched The 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.

Van Kempen is currently working on The Filigree Embassy, an online open source platform on filigree. For now, it will become available in Dutch, to make information on filigree more accessible to Dutch designers, artists, jewelry makers and wearers.