Rebellious, innovative and individualistic, Swiss-German designer Bernhard Schobinger spontaneously combines precious and ordinary materials to create jewellery with an astonishing balance and great freedom. His preferred materials are often recycled and convey a story or carry strong symbolism. Schobinger feels close to the Dada movement and Arte povera, and he also appreciates koans, short sentences or absurd anecdotes used in certain schools of Zen Buddhism to trigger enlightenment.
These scissors have been dipped in red lacquer, as if they had just been stuck into someone’s flesh. The beads evoke tears, blood, sweat and tears. What macabre story have these scissors been part of?
The paradoxical feeling that grips us when we look at this necklace lies in the attraction for the formal quality of the work, the unease generated by the juxtaposition of the sharpness of the blades, the blood red of the Urushi lacquer and the white softness of the pearls. This is a far cry from a reassuring and caressing piece of jewellery. Giving sharp scissors to wear around the neck is a violent act. Choosing to wear them is a challenge to convention.
