‘Reconnect’ is a growing, on-going, project of searching for connection.
In September 2020 I learned about different forms of trauma from a theoretical point of view. I gradually discovered that trauma has a greater impact than I had expected. The more I read about it, the more aspects were present in my own life.
Since trauma can install itself in a body before someone can speak, it is impossible to treat some traumas verbally. The exercises to begin healing a body are very physical and make close contact with the body, just like jewelry.
‘Unraveling trauma’ is a first step in an exploration of how jewelleriness can help to heal trauma.
In the next step, I look for what jewellery and objects I can design to remind me and others to do the gestures to heal the body.
tempering the thymus – photo by Rikki Siebens – lapis lazuli hammer 11,2 x 3,3 x 1 cm flip book 5 x 10 x 1 cm ‘tempering the thymus’ is a small silversmith’s hammer made from recycled lapis lazuli. Along with ‘reconnecting hemispheres,’ it is a work from ‘reconnect.’ In this I make objects and jewellery that remind the wearer to do physical exercises that help cope with trauma, stress and fatigue. The exercises release electrochemical impulses that go to the central nervous system and thus cause lasting change. When you have low energy or feel sick, it helps to tap the thymus gland, which is a gland under the sternum. This activates the immune system faster. Because tapping is similar to forging, I made a silversmith hammer for this purpose. The hammer can only tap on a body, as it is breakable on anything else. It comes with a flip book where I depict the action without an object.
reconnecting hemispheres
reconnecting hemispheres – photo by Rikki Siebens – copper object / bracelet 15 x 9 x 6 cm flip book 5 x 10 x 1 cm ‘reconnecting hemispheres’ is a copper band that with some luck can be worn as a bracelet, but more likely it will be an object. Along with “tempering the thymus,” it is a work from “reconnect. In this I make objects and jewelry that remind the wearer to do physical exercises that help cope with trauma, stress and fatigue. By crossing the arms to make connections between both hemispheres of the brain, the breathing and heart rate slows down and neurological connections are made that help process trauma in a wordless way. It comes with a flip book where I depict the action without an object.
reconnecting hemispheres – photo by Rikki Siebens
palm
video performance 2’15” – Another position to make new old (forgotten) connections in the body is the ‘whole brain posture’. Crossing the arms and legs connects both hemispheres in the brain, which brings rest and is a helpful connection to coop with trauma. I began to unravel a chain around my neck by touch. It felt like a depiction of how it feels to try to unravel insurmountable trauma. There is still a long way to go, but it is not impossible. I have to let it get closer to free me from it.
