Raymond de Zwart: Portals and Night Vision

PUBLISHED IN CRAFT CULTURE July 2007

Bright and Shining Star

By Ramona Barry

Raymond de Zwart’s first major solo show Portals and Night Vision at Pieces of Eight Gallery opens up a whole new universe. Mysterious constellation patterns and nautical maps roll across gold, silver and ivory surfaces on necklaces, rings and brooches. Glittering bowls shimmer like a clear night sky.

In almost every jewelry exhibition there seems to be a ‘first’ piece. Often something quite small and quietly resolved that started the maker on a path that then opens up to reveal a broad body of work. In de Zwart’s case it’s a deceptively simple brooch silver round, engraved, cut beautifully finished. On closer examination it reveals that first step, the astrological and navigational reference in the etching, the sense of it being mechanical, able to whir into some kind of activity at any moment. The scale isn’t quite right, but the charm is all there and from such a little thing, big things certainly did seem to grow.

Some of the most interesting pieces in the show are fashioned from reclaimed ivory (piano keys a fellow jeweler picked up in Paris). The Portal Brooches are particularly bold with their angular cuts and silver backs. Their title suggest perhaps passages to another world and yet they are the most graphic pieces in the show. They perhaps indicate a way forward, a less cluttered surface allowing the shape to shine.

When looking at contemporary jewelry it is always a great pleasure to turn the pieces over, to seek out the makers stamp, to look at the details. No one can argue that de Zwart has mastered the roller clasp and his elegant curls of gold in the earrings are a pleasure to look at and I imagine to wear. He seems to have taken great care to see each piece through. He certainly has mastered the difficult craft of fine saw piercing – any flaws in the internal edges only add to the mysterious nature of the pieces. The mix of different chain links both in gauge and metal worked most effectively in a bold neckpiece with an almost baroque cut jet pendant. It looked weighty and feminine all at the same time, a nice juxtaposition that imbues the piece with a ‘talisman’ like feel.

Rings too were a feature of the show the most interesting displaying little universes within them. Set with blue and white sapphire, topaz gold and silver – with the ubiquitous constellation and navigational diagrams etched into the surface. At first they look a little heavy, almost too much information on such a small surface. But on the hand they sit well and have an almost magical charm. They are full of character but do not overwhelm or distract the wearer. They look as if they have a tale to tell and that can only be good.

Interestingly de Zwart has also turned his hand to vessels. A series of bronze bowls lined with silvery, starry tin stand alone in the centre of the space on a plinth and they certainly deserve consideration. Some are more successful than others its true, but they are so beautiful together shimmering, quivering almost despite their substantial weight. It’s always terrific when jewelers put on their metalsmith’s hat and fashion a vessel. Something for us to hold in both hands. To change their scale does pose challenges but the results are always interesting. De Zwart should pursue this course. The bowls are dynamic and it will be interesting to see how their scale and weight interplay with his wearable pieces in the future.

De Zwart certainly has his own style. It’s clearly a masculine voice concerned with making beautiful pieces and telling stories with each piece. Instantly the viewer/wearer thinks of clock mechanisms, astrological maps, constellations, silvery stars even time machines. H.G Wells would have liked these pieces as they would suit both past, present and future. If anything de Zwart seems to be a bit locked into what he describes as the connection between ‘the mechanical and the metaphysical’. Where he goes from here will be interesting to see, deeper into the complex universe or the more esoteric concern of scale and line?

To take one piece home would be hard but given a choice perhaps that very first pendant. Small and quiet yet containing a universe of possibilities.

Portals & Night Vision

Pieces of Eight Gallery

635 Brunswick Street

North Fitzroy

June 19 – July 14