Blog
Husam El Odeh
Hardly needing any introduction, Husam El Odeh is fast becoming
established as one of the most original and daring jewellery designers
today. Through his work with Marios Schwab, Mihara Yasuhiro, Ann Sofie
Back and his own eponymous line, Odeh explores his fascination with
what lies beneath, injecting a hefty dose of Surrealism into his work
and transforming humble, everyday objects into unconventional, wearable
works of art.
Is making jewellery personal for you?
It’s like being allowed to play for a living... Just before a show it
can be very stressful but I love working with my hands, it is a release
of what goes on in my head. What could be more personal?
In the past, you've used kitchen appliances, combs, artist's tools
as inspiration for your jewellery - is it a case of literally finding
inspiration in everything?
Yes! Random is a very important element to my work, however my Germanic
aesthetics seems to alway tidy it up afterwards. I just like to see
what happens when you place things on the body they start interacting.
It changes the meaning (and look) of both.
How did your fine art background inform your jewellery?
I think maybe I look at making jewellery in a different way, from a few
angles at the same time in a way. I am hoping it makes it more
interesting...My aesthetics has been formed in a fine art context and I
like playing with things out of context, but I don’t want to get all
conceptual now, I am happy when something looks visually stimulating.
What are your plans for 2009?
I am still trying to tie up 2008, but 2009 is set to be busy, all this
credit crunch talk has not seemed to work for me...
I am working on a few collaborations, and of course my mainline. I am
also expanding my illustration portfolio.
