J. Hammes: “It is the job of the artistically minded
silversmith to represent in metal or,
one might say, to ‘compose’ in metal. (…) And
when technical skill first goes hand in hand with
artistic vision, the worked metal can become an
organic entity, which embodies the rhythm of life
and the soul of the silversmith.”

“The Sterckshof Commission 2010 represents the synthesis between tradition and innovation, between technique and technology. I see designing as a way of dealing with reality; you might say it is my way of creating order, of providing meaning.
So a number of parallels can be drawn between my work and philosophy. I can identify with Martha Nussbaum’s approach.
Emotions should not be seen as irrational,uncontrollable outpourings, but as intelligent judgments about matters we regard as important. Impressions 2010 is a series of objects which embody this way of thinking.

In terms of form and content an object transcends its classic functional meaning.
Precious metal as an artistic medium, sculptural silver as a representer and conveyor.
Exploring the border between visual and applied art by means of silversmithing techniques and the physical characteristics of silver. This revelatory experience is given shape in an artistic installation of silver 3D objects.
The silversmithing process is linked to a thought process. A way of thinking that is aware of the possibilities and the reactions to it. A new complexity comes into being which reveals other mechanisms of the creative process. Everything is looked at again and rearranged on the basis of inner questioning, which is the essence of the creative process. The series of decorative objects entitled Impressions 2010 combines traditional silversmithing techniques with techniques from other disciplines.
The objects are windows or frames, ‘visual thinking rooms’ in which my philosophy is transformed into three-dimensional matter.
The act of designing is based purely on content rather than on aesthetics, but the result can still be seen as highly aesthetic.
This aspect imposes itself on the onlooker like a sort of existential theory. “

Excerpt from the exhibition catalogue