On Friday, October 28, 2005, Dutch artist Ruudt Peters entertained attendees at SOFA Chicago with his presentation entitled Philosopher’s Stone. He used imagery and terminology from the medieval practice of alchemy, which attempted to turn base metals into gold.

Ruudt explained he was a member of the Dutch generation of artists who began working in the 1970s, when he and his peers explored a variety of materials to make jewelry, refusing to work with the traditional gold and silver or precious stones. Instead, they used materials like aluminum and rubber to create necklaces and bracelets.
Moonstone

As Ruudt described his work over the years, he talked about what inspired him, what he then created, and how he presented his work. As he followed this cycle of inspiration, creation, and presentation, he produced an eclectic, varied, and beautiful body of work.

While he creates amazing and wonderful jewelry, he consistently raises the bar (and, perhaps, an eyebrow or two) in the way he presents his work.

For example, at SOFA, Ruudt’s brooches from the series called Azoth (the Philosopher’s stone) — featuring layers of multicolored polyester surrounding a black, oxidized hollow silver core–were presented submerged in individual bowls/tanks of water anchored in tall metal stands, so the viewer could see the work about waist-high. Ruudt noted the water worked as a magnifier of the jewelry. (I didn’t see many hands plunging in without permission, either!)
Thenardiet
This installation was featured at Ornamentum Gallery, located in Hudson, NY, and owned by AJF members Laura Lapachin and her husband Stefan Friedemann.Ruudt acknowledged that he doesn’t present his work in a way that makes it easy for the viewer to touch. He wants you to approach with respect. He showed examples of previous installations where his jewelry was hidden behind gauze netting tents–or, nestled in little pillows under a handing lamp–looking just like a nursery setting (”They’re my babies,” Ruudt smiled.)–or in laboratory vials.

When I talked with Laura Lapachin about the ingenuity of Ruudt’s presentations, she told me Ruudt was one of the pioneers of this innovative way of presenting work, which has come to be known in the profession, appropriately, as The Dutch Smooth.

And while Ruudt now does use precious materials in his work, he’s likely to hide it–for example, by covering silver with layers of polyester, which rub off as the jewelry is worn, revealing the more precious layer over time. (More metaphors than space to present!)
In closing, let’s listen in as Ruudt expresses his own philosophy in a few gem-like sound bites: “Every piece of jewelry conceals what it adorns,” he said. “Jewelry is highly communicative,” he explained, “you have to come close to experience it.” And yet…”If you grasp at things desirously,” he cautioned, “they will retreat.”

Contributed by AJF member Jane Shannon

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