I am immediately drawn to the immensely tactile works of jeweller Mirjam Hiller for their gracefulness and delicacy. It’s all those multiple little elements, those multiple cuts, and those small shifts of tone captured in the depths of each three dimensional form. I love how they are reminiscent of plants and flowers, but are somehow strangely alien and mysterious.

On further investigation, these pieces are even more extraordinary for the fact that they are cut from a single sheet of metal before they are then shaped into their final form.

mirjam hiller – cutting diagram for xynema brooch

Working out of her studio in Potsdam, Germany, Mirjam saws from a sheet of copper or steel the deconstructed form she has in her head. She explains of her process, “I capture the three-dimensional form that spreads out in front of my inner eye, unfold it to the second dimension, sketch it and cut it out with the awareness that every cut is a final one. I have to make decisions, reduce it to the essentials and find a way for a logical realization. … I focus myself on one kind of material, one or two colours; everything else distracts me and redirects my thoughts. ”

venturium pink – brooch

atrosanea red – brooch – powder coated steel

 

bovenas – pink – brooch – powder coated steel

 

brooch – cravenias – painted copper

 

“The cut out drawing lies in front of me, one flat piece, my unfolded thought.
I bend and fold it to the third dimension.|
I’m excited to see if it really grows the way that I’ve imagined.
I enter the room again, half in thoughts, half in reality.”

 

mirjam hiller – brooch – iulesa

 

mirjam hiller – brooch – phytemas

 

mirjam hiller – brooch – sephimera – black

 

Mirjam has been represented in an abundance of exhibitions and collections around the world, including the renowned Gallerie Ra (Amsterdam) and Gallery Funaki (Melbourne). You can find more of her work on her website, http://www.mirjamhiller.com.

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With thanks to Mirjam for generously sharing her images and words here.