Kaylee’s featured artist – No.4

BY Manchester Craft and Design Centre

12/09/13

This week on our blog it’s time for some of our most intriguing pieces of jewellery in ‘Forming Words’… The snake-like necklaces and coiled up brooches by Susanne Matsché.

Susanne lives and works in Berlin, and her work ranges from elboarate filigree silver rings to the jewellery which combines leather and handwriting. We have two of Susanne’s necklaces in ‘Forming Words’, called ‘The Snake of Thoughts’ and ‘Rapunzel’. Both necklaces are intended to be worn – and due to their unusual flexible appearance can be worn in many different ways (for those interested – they can be wrapped around your neck three times!).

‘The Snake of Thoughts’ depicts Susanne’s feelings about jewellery making, and the joy which she associates with wearing it. If you look closely, you will be able to see many handwritten words on one long piece of leather – wrapped around and around a core in many layers.

The second necklace, ‘Rapunzel’, is inspired by the German 19th Century fairy tale of a young girl called Rapunzel with long hair which she sends out of the tower for a prince to climb up (the story in a nutshell!).  The necklace depicts this story, and with it’s braid-like appearance, looks a little like Rapunzel’s plait…

Lastly, the most intriguing of Susanne’s work… The Scroll Pins. These wonderful little brooches are made of rolled leather strips which contain personal texts. Due to the leather being coiled around itself, the text itself is hidden – and the only way to discover what it says is to bend the pin open – therefore destroying the brooch. So, if you were to buy one of these pins, you’ve got a personal battle with your own curiosity on your hands… Do you keep it intact, or do you discover the secret inside?