Pools & Pouf! photo © Patrick Gries, Paris.
fre e -fo rm c o lle c tio n o f flo w in g , D a li-e sq u e
sh a p e s, w h ic h are c o v e re d w ith a g ra y grid
o f C h e ste rfie ld -sty le lea th er u p h o lste ry ,
re fle cts u p o n th e p e rsiste n ce and m u ta b ility
o f trad itio n al fo rm s.
A n o th e r p la y on trad itio n is P e tra Z im -
m erm an n ’s rein ven tio n o f b aroq u e elem en ts
b y c a stin g p ie c e s o f co stu m e je w e lr y in
resin . M o tiv a te d b y “ m y c u rio s ity to p e e k
insid e th e treasu re ch est, I am carefu l to
in v e stig a te th e trad itio n al ro le o f g la m o u r
in o rd e r to e x p a n d th e d e fin itio n o f j e w -
e lr y ,” Z im m e rm a n sa y s. T h ro u g h a p p ro -
p riatio n and re in te rp re ta tio n , sh e re m o v e s
th e fo u n d p ie c e s fro m th e ir origin al co n -
te x t w ith o u t re n d e rin g th e ir o rigin al d e c o -
rativ e lan gu age m oot.
Z im m e rm a n ’s je w e lr y is sh o w c a se d at
G a le rie v & v am o n g e x p e rim e n ta l w o r k
b y a v a rie ty o f y o u n g A u stria n and in tern a -
tion al je w e lr y and te x tile d esig n ers. O w n e r
V e r o n ik a S c h w a rz in g e r’s d isc o v e rie s in -
clu d e A g n e s C z ifr a ’s o n e-of-a k in d te x tile s
m ad e fro m r e c y c le d rib b o n s, K a tja K o r-
s a w e ’s je w e lr y fro m ru b b e r b an d s and c u t-
u p p a n ty h o se , b a llo o n rin gs b y D im ita r
B e lc h e v , and S o n ja B isch u r’s k n itte d n e c k -
p ie ce s th at fu n ctio n as b o th fash io n a cce s-
so ry and je w e lr y .
“ V ie n n a used to b e a g ra y c ity , and one
co u ld sen se its p ro x im ity to th e eastern part
o f a still-d ivid ed E u ro p e ,” says U rsi F ü rtier,
a te x tile a rtist e x h ib itin g h a n d -p rin te d
scarve s at G a le rie V & V . B u t th e m ood has
ch an ged o v e r th e last 30 y e a rs , sh e p o in ts
o u t. “ It is a v ib ra n t c ity n o w and its in h a b it-
ants are h o p e fu l and e n e r g iz e d .”
“ A n a ltern ative cu ltu ral scen e in th e late
’70s and e a rly ’ 80s has in flu e n ced th e fa ce
o f th e c ity and c o n trib u te d to its cu rre n t
v ita lity ,” adds M a rtin a Z w ö lfe r , a ceram ist
w e ll-k n o w n fo r h e r tall slip -c a st T h r e e -
R ib b o n v a se s, w h o ju st o p en ed a sh o w ro o m
w ith B e rn a d e tte H ah n en kam p in V ie n n a ’s
eig h th d istrict.
A n d re a A u e r, an oth er je w e lr y d esig n er,
w h o w o r k s w ith p la stic-co a te d e le c tric
w ire and cle ar fo il to cre ate m od ern in te r-
p re ta tio n s o f th e classic p e arl-d ro p e arrin g
and lin k e d ch ain s, p ra ises V ie n n a as a m e -
tro p o lis w ith in te rn a tio n a l flair b u t a m an -
a g ea b le , hum an scale. “ I lo v e liv in g h e re ,”
A u e r sa y s. “ I valu e th e q u a lity o f life .T h e
m a rk e t is clo se b y , and th e n e x t ca fé is ju st
aro u n d th e c o rn e r.”*
M artina W indeis is a jew eler liv in g in P rovi-
dence, RI.
Above:
Petra Zimmermann
Bracelet,
2010, vintage
bag, polymethyl-
methacrylate, gold leaf,
blackened silver.
Right:
Gudrun Wallenbock
and Dorte Kaufman’s
shop. Hinterland, is
known for Wallenbock’s
W alking Skirts-aprons
that incorporate photo-
graphs of the Austrian
countryside.
Bottom:
Robert Stadler
Pools & Pouf! couch,
2004, upholstered
leather,
PVC,
plywood,
8 x 3‘/<s
x 3 ft.
oct/novio american craft 071
