SAPPHIRES, RUBIES, EMERALDS ARE SMASHED AND THEN RECONSTRUCTED ON PRECIOUS METAL STRUCTURES TO CREATE AN INNOVATIVE BODY OF WORK. SOME OF THE RESULTS ARE CAREFULLY PLANNED AND DESIGNED, WHILE OTHERS EVOLVE NATURALLY FROM THE INTRINSIC QUALITIES OF THE MATERIALS. LIKE THE EXPERIENCES OF PERSONAL LIFE, THERE IS ALWAYS DESTRUCTION AND LOSS, YET OUT OF THESE PROCESSES COME NEW THINGS AND NEW ORDERS. MY JEWELLERY ILLUSTRATES THIS THEME OF CHAOS AND RECREATION. THERE IS ALWAYS ORDER IN CHAOS. WE LOSE THINGS AND WE GAIN THINGS. IT IS A CONSTANT MOTION, AN UNSTOPPABLE FORCE.
ABOUT
Kelvin J. Birk produces jewellery as well as larger objects, mainly in silver and gold with all types of gemstones.
Within his work he crushes precious gemstones and glues them back together, sometimes in a random uncontrolled shape, other times in a more controlled manner and then combines these stones with jewellery pieces or objects in precious metal. Within his work he is consciously disregarding what is traditionally considered precious. Birk revels in a lack of control, allows chaos to take over and the nature of the precious materials to dictate the final outcome of the pieces. His collection is constantly developing and through different creative processes new pieces emerge all the time, ensuring that no two are identical.
Like the experiences of personal life, there is always destruction and loss yet out of these processes come new things and new orders. Kelvin J. Birk’s jewellery illustrates this theme of chaos and re-creation. There is always order in chaos, we lose things and we gain things. It is a constant.
After Graduating in Goldsmithing and jewellery making at the Berufsfachschule fuer Glas und Schmuck, Germany, Kelvin J. Birk took his MA in Silversmithing and Jewellery (awarded with distinction) from the Sir John Cass Faculty of Art in London, UK (1997).
Kelvin exhibited at various fairs and exhibitions in Great Britain, Europe, the USA, China and Taiwan. His work won him several prizes and awards and he received several grants from different funding bodies.
His work has been featured in numerous magazines, newspapers and in a range of jewellery and design books.
Kelvin is available for consultations and happy to discuss special commissions and bespoke pieces. He became a specialist in up-cycling old jewellery, where he recycles your unworn jewellery into a stunning new wearable piece of jewellery.
Courses and teaching
In 2017, together with a fellow jeweller Katrin Spranger, Kelvin founded the K2 Academy of Contemporary Jewellery, which is also based at Cockpit Arts, Holborn, London.
The K2 Academy of Contemporary Jewellery is based on a different method to jewellery training where a conceptual, free thinking approach to design is underpinned by a thorough technical training. K2 Academy offers jewellery courses ranging from diploma courses and masterclasses to specialist short courses workshop classes. Find out more about K2 Academy on their website www.k2jewelleryacademy.london or contact Kelvin directly about his teaching.
In addition he also teaches 1 to 1 bespoke classes in his studio.
info@kelvinbirk.com