Interview with Livia Trandafir
- What materials do you prefer to use in your creations and why?
The basic material I use are natural elements: from mushrooms, lichens, pistils, roots to carcasses, wings and insects. All the stories I collect are then embedded in resin, the material that helps me render an authentic image of reality. It has given me a great freedom of creation, I can suspend in time whatever is shown to me in my travels.
- Are there recurring themes in your work?
Honoring the roots and exploring contrasts are two topics that I approach repeatedly. The first is about the tribute to Romania's biodiversity, the fruits of this land, the seeds that have the potential for transformation. The pieces that belong to this theme convey belonging and integration.
Exploring the contrasts of the underlying duality, paradox and embracing the unknown. In these collections I use plants that are both medicinal and poisonous. I like to dilute the concepts of beautiful-grotesque, quiet-intrigue, fragility-power.
- What role do personal emotions play in your creativity?
The vital energy is anchored in the creative potential, that's why I think it is necessary to respect this creative power and make it fruitful. Emotions and creativity have a synergistic relationship: certain emotions can push me to create certain pieces, but also vice versa - the state of creation leads me into a flow, a timeless setting that charges me with strong feelings. Creativity and emotions can be both tools and resources.
- How long does it take you to create a piece, from the concept to the final realization?
The process starts when I travel in nature, I always find elements that fascinate me: flowers with spectacular textures, non-existent insects with a certain color, thorns, seeds or roots. I carefully select these elements, which I then dry or press for two weeks. A kind of creative chaos ensues in which I analyze the entire collection. Some elements already have their final form in my mind from the moment they are shown to me. Others go through numerous combinations and associations with various themes. Next comes the molding, polishing and assembly, which takes another week. But there are also pieces that I daydream about for months until I can come up with a shape.
- Which way leads You to become a contemporary jewelry artist?
I was 16 years old, a pair of pliers and a strong need to explore. I started with simple materials, easy to procure. I had discovered this new role as a creator that perfectly suited my introverted nature. 7 years ago I had an episode of isolation, I felt uprooted. I gradually started to walk through fields, forests and mountains, to collect everything that seemed to me to be the effortless beauty of nature. I was rediscovering the essence and meaning, I felt it was my duty to preserve those elements and I started using resin.
