Ornamisms (since 2023)

For our second participatory project Ornamisms, we launched an open call to collect photos of jewellery pictured in close-up on human skin.
 

These photos could be of any type of jewellery that people made or own, whether art, design, fashion, antique, fine, or other, from ancient to contemporary, worldwide.

We are grateful to have received submissions from a total of 96 participants(!).

All submitted photos, and their designated info, are published on this webpage.
 
 To smoothly navigate the image collection:  

 
- Click the "X" in the top right corner of this text window to slide it down.
 
 - All images will become visible, and more will load as you scroll down.
 
 - Hover over images to reveal participant and work details.
 
 - Enlarge images by clicking on the arrow in the right corner.
 
 - Grab images to move them around.
 
 - For a clearer overview, click "sort images" (visible when the text window is closed) in the top left corner of the webpage.

 Starting from a diverse collection of photos, we created our own dataset consisting of 1,042 images in total.

With this dataset, we trained a machine learning algorithm to co-create 'Ornamisms’: speculative adornment in which body and jewellery e-merge from human-machine collaboration.

Through participatory projects and by working with self-learning algorithms, we aim to critically explore machine learning as a co-creator in jewellery practice.

Our experiments, in which we try to connect with hundreds of makers and their works, are meant to develop expansive concepts, frameworks and methodologies for co-creative, sustainable, posthuman jewellery practices. 

Thereby, we aim to broaden understandings of themes such as human-centred design, materiality, value, or authorship.

By working with emerging technologies such as A.I. in collective creation and presentation processes, new types or acts of adornment and more-than-human craft practices can emerge within the phygital realm.

The first Ornamisms were unveiled at Munich Jewellery Week 2024 in the exhibition Visions, Ventures & Valuables.

Visions, Ventures & Valuables  
 
 28/02 - 2/03/2024
 
 Neureutherstraße 26
 80799 Munich    
 
 28/02: 18-20h (opening!)  29/02: 10-18h
 1/03: 10-18h        
 2/03: 10-16h

If you are planning to travel to Munich, we look forward to welcoming you to the exhibition!

This presentation does not signify the culmination of the project; instead, it offered a glimpse into our ongoing research. Our projects are long-term and continually evolving, as we believe in the significance of multi-faceted explorations. This allows us to research nuanced connections between (post-)digital culture, technology and the (more-than-)human. 

By sharing our work, we aim to foster dialogue on the themes and questions central to our research.

An iterative process allows us to refine our ideas and perspectives, shaping our projects organically as they evolve. 

Working with A.I. in artistic practice raises many urgent questions. Have a look at this page to discover how we aim to explore these issues through our participatory projects.


We express our sincere gratitude to

  •   all participants who generously shared their photos in the context of this artistic research project (all participants' names are published below).  
  •  prof. dr. Kris Luyten and colleagues from EDM (Expertise Centre for Digital Media, Hasselt University) for making facilities available to support the training process of the ml algorithm 
  •  Guus Vandeweerd, Senneke Van de Wygaert, and Esther Verstreken who have worked on setting up this project during their research internships at Artificial Intelligems. 

Ornamisms participants:
 Alexis Arayata
 Amy Noyce
 André Ribeiro
 Anika Lotter
 Anita Declerck
 Anke Raeymaekers
 Annelieke Landré
 Annelies Weinberger
 Antal Zilahi
 Arya Sipor
 Audi Pauwels
 Baiba Pukinska
 Barbara (Yixuan) Wei
 Carine Terreblanche
 Chandra Ngomane
 Charlotte Vanhoubroeck
 Chelsea-Belle Clark
 Chelsea Rowe
 Chinchio Margherita
 Claire Webb
 Cody Costermans
 Daphne Scheirlinckx
 Diedre Schwillens
 Dimitrios Mekras
 Dodo Paruznik
 Dorien Swillen
 Dua Fatima
 Elena Bula
 Elisabetta Nevola
 Elke Wolf
 Elza Lencberga
 Esther Verstreken
 Evgenia Zoidaki
 Fanni Nagy
 Flavia Turone
 Gabriela Ramirez Michel
 Giusi Schuller
 Guus Vandeweerd
 Jess Bischoff
 Ji Young Kim
 John Rose
 Jonas Schwalenberg
 Julia Muenzing
 Kalkidan Hoex
 Karin Bille
 Katja Prins
 Kitty Spaenjers
 Leslie Grove
 Letizia Maggio
 Lindie Crous
 Luca Sági
 Luché Oberholzer
 Manner India/Swati Sahu
Maria Konschake
 Maria Mironova
 Mariel M. Matute
 Marjan Goetschalckx
 Marques Léa
 Megha Bedi
 Miklos Laufer
 Mima Pejoska
 Mohsen Amini
 Moniek Schrijer
 Nadine Anklam
 Naroush
 Nedda El-Asmar
 Nicole Walger
 Nora Kovats
 Norman Sherfield
 Pallavi Verma
 Pauletta Brooks
 Pauline Lednitskij
 PlushGemArt/Wendy Seals
 Rik Tembuyser
 Rosina Lednitskij
 Saartje Tembuyser
 Saskia van Es
 Saydee Chandler
 Senneke Van de Wygaert
 Silke Fleischer
 Sita Yabo Harries
 Solmaz Niazi
 Stella & Karen Wuytens
 Tyana Verstraete
 Ursula Woerner
 Viveka Valentin
 Wiebke Pandikow
 Wieke Aerts
 Wievien Alberts
 Willemien Bruwer
 Xiaoyi Chen
 Yiayi Lao
 Zhanna Assanova
 Zoë Chowney
 + anonymous