Studio jewellery
Trajectory within the major Jewellery and Goldsmithing
At Sint Lucas Antwerpen, jewellery design is all about translating imagination into jewellery and objects. High-gloss in metal or with a matte finish as in tracing paper, wearable or not, but always meaningful and precious.
Studio jewellery
Reflection and desire
The Studio jewellery is for those who are fascinated by precious objects, beauty or the human body.
Starting with a curious mind, you design and create jewellery and objects that are wearable – or perhaps not. For this, we teach you to bend, saw, drill, file, cast metal, solder, draw wires, enamel and patine. But, above all, you learn to translate your own fascinations into a personal visual language that communicates your message to the viewer.
The technical ‘baggage’ you collect along the way builds further on the artisanal tradition of gold and silversmithing and working with metals.
But you also learn to work with other materials of course, ranging from textiles to plastics or ceramics.
You always choose the material that best fits what you want to say: materials become metaphors for meaning.
The meaning of your work always comes first. Your Starting point is jewellery in all its facets, from traditional archetypes and contemporary art jewellery (sometimes called ‘authors’ jewellery’) to designer and fashion jewellery.
Academic bachelor’s programme
In the academic bachelor’s programme, we pay a lot of attention to conceptual thinking, process-based work and documentation. This Study programme also offers a general basic programme where you build up theoretical knowledge and focus strongly on reflection and critical thinking. After this three-year academic bachelor’s programme, you reach the level required to start an artistic master’s programme.
Studio-specific skills
Traditional techniques
Casting metal, drawing jewellery wire, rolling plates, patining and bending,… the basic skills of the traditional art of smithing.
Experimental techniques
Modern jewellery sometimes requires modern materials. You can experiment to your heart’s content with various materials.
Visualise your work
You use different types of media to give shape to your idea and context. From drawing to 3D printing, photography and film.
Reflection
You learn to polish until you can literally see yourself in your material as in a mirror. But you also learn to reflect on your work and methods.
Presenting your idea
You not only create fascinating objects, you are also able to speak and write about them in an appealing manner.
Overarching courses
In other words: the basic curriculum
Manual and technological skills
This course unit consists of a package of initiations that help you at the start of your programme. For example, there are initiations in the field of software and in the workshops. In addition, you also follow a number of interesting studio-specific initiations.
Theory
Part of the theory is the same for all bachelor’s programme years. Philosophy, art anthropology, literature, art history, semiotic studies, culture and media theory, art design and context and art news.
Drawing
As part of the basic curriculum in the first and second year, each student works on developing basic competencies for drawing the human body and its surroundings and for visual analysis. In the second and third years, your drawing comes closer and closer, via elective modules, to the artistic practice you are developing in your studio. Over the three years, drawing becomes an authentic, autonomous and communicative medium for you. It becomes an essential tool for concept, creation and communication that broadens and clarifies your visual language.
Elective programme
The elective programme consists of two parts. Firstly, you participate in a project week every year. Here, you are part of a mixed group of students from different studios from the first, second and third years. In this way, you are confronted with students from different backgrounds and get the chance to develop a network comprising both students and lecturers. Secondly, in the second and third bachelor’s years, you gain more insight into art and culture by choosing from a series of elective courses and elective projects based on the research projects of theory lecturers.
Theory versus practice
The weightage of the courses evolves throughout the three bachelor’s years. Below you will find a visual representation of the courses you will follow in relation to your credits.
- Pratice
- Drawing
- Theory
- Elective programme
First year
Second year
Third year
In the theory lectures
Theory and reflection are an important part of our academic programme. Important as in: this part accounts for one third of the credits. The basic curriculum, for example, contains subjects such as philosophy, semiotics and art history. These are all courses that give you greater insight into art, culture and society. And they provide you with further inspiration and an interesting background for your own work.
In the studio
The theory even seeps through into the studio. In the form of theoretical seminars or as feedback from lecturers teaching theory and practice. Because the latter also have their place in the Studio.
In your chosen electives
The elective programme also contains a range of learning projects based on the research projects of theory lecturers. In this way, you complete the theoretical knowledge you receive with accents based on your own interests.
Studio jewellery projects
What does the future look like after the studio jewellery?
A study programme does what it promises: it enables to study a specific domain during which one acquires specific skills and a certain way of thinking. Our students choose their final destination themselves. Discover where they ended up…
An academic year, from one summer holiday to the next
At Sint Lucas Antwerpen, creativity is a constant. ‘Regular’ lecture weeks alternate with studio or project weeks and exhibitions. And exams, of course. This is what a typical year at Sint Lucas Antwerpen looks like:
- Theory
- Practice only
- Jury
- Holidays
- Exhibition
- Lectures
Who teaches the Studio jewellery?
They always have one foot in the professional world and they enjoy sharing all that experience with their students. These qualified professionals will soon be your lecturers.
Saskia Van der Gucht
Hilde De Decker
Ludovik Colpaert
Hilde Van der Heyden
Irma Földényi
One-semester art exchange programmes
Are you excited to study abroad during one semester?
