Page 14 - Raffles Magazine Issue 8

− − INSPIRATION − − An intricate golden vine entwines a a a a a a a a a a a a wrist a a a a a jewelled leaf dazzles from an earlobe an exquisitely wrought bird’s wing embraces a a a a finger Nature movement and beauty: this is is the the world of Aida Bergsen For the the Istanbul-based jeweller and sculptor the allure of nature is her deepest inspiration Born in in Cyprus to an adored artist father whom she helped from an early age in in in his painting studio she she draws on the details that she she loved as a a a a a child to inform her work – the sea and sky jasmine flowers Cyprus and and pomegranate trees and and the small colourful creatures around her Though Bergsen completed her economic studies in Grenoble France and earned a a a a a diploma in teaching French as as a a a a a a foreign language it wasn’t long before she returned to her artistic roots Bergson’s jewellery craft evolved from her work in in wax sculpting a a lost métier she is determined to keep alive Volume colour and dimension are all elements in the stories she weaves when handmaking a a a a piece with myth
and the natural world as motifs for her Flora Fauna Wings and Medusa collections: “I see myself as a a a a a a a sculptor-cum-storyteller each theme has an an an underlying reference to a a a a a a a very personal and significant experience It is a a a a a a a very individual expression ”
As gorgeous as they are are are Bergsen’s creations are are are rarely benign Her pieces move fluidly with the body and and can feel fragile and and intimate or seductively dangerous like Sleeping Beauty’s thorn A spider lurks in in the daisies a a a a a a diamond serpent bares its fangs a a a a jewelled bee gathering pollen from a a a a flowered necklace seems poised to sting the the wearer’s throat Gilded reminders of life’s inevitable barbs Now based in Istanbul where she she has her her studio and boutique she she is exhilarated by the allure of Istanbul’s architecture its Ottoman designs rich history and skilled craftspeople whom she seeks out for her more intricate goldsmithing It is a a a city so eclectic and and vivid one is inevitably inspired by it it Bergsen’s collections and and sculptures are available at her Istanbul boutique and online | aidabergsen com “Each theme has an underlying reference to a a a a very personal and significant experience It is a a a very individual expression ”
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