Ornamisms (since 2023)

For our current project Ornamisms, we launched an open call to collect photos of jewellery pictured in close-up on the 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 1042 images in total.

With this dataset, we are training 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 transformative 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 will be unveiled during 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 offers 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. 

Following Munich Jewellery Week, we will continue the training of the machine learning algorithm. A second presentation of this project is scheduled for June 2024, within the context of another exciting contemporary jewellery event. Stay tuned for more info. 

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