Voo Visits: Alexia Amort

Voo: When you design, what comes first: the material, the form, or the mood you want to create?

Alexia Amort: For me there does not really exist a logical order in how I create. I would describe the process more as a dance of inspiration, form and the creative force, as the process itself is more artistic than logical, more fluid than structured. Sometimes the inspiration comes first, in other moments I start with the stone and create around it or listen to some ambient music and allow the sound to guide my artistic expression.

V: You once described your jewellery as “a dance between the material and the metaphysical.” What does that mean for you?

A: When I am talking about „jewellery as a dance between the material and the metaphysical“ I am referring to how the creative force that is flowing through every artist manifests itself in the physical world. In the process of creation the material and metaphysical are not separated from each other, but two components of the same energy. The metaphysical as the potential of that energy, and the material as the living embodiment of it.

V: You grew up in the Dolomites, a landscape defined by stone and light. Do you think that place shaped how you see material or form?

A: I believe that it definitely affects the way I perceive nature in general, as it is the landscape that I have observed and discovered the most. Especially deep forests, still mountains and clear waterfalls have probably the biggest effect on the shapes that inspire my work. I hold a deep sense of feeling nature and what inspires me next to the dense forms of earth and stone are the subtle energies of the seasons, cycles and elemental forces. But more than anything, mountains are home to me.

V: How do you decide when a piece has the right kind of imperfection, the kind that feels alive rather than unfinished?

A: I would describe it as a sense of just knowing, rather than being able to decide. Somehow hard to put it into words, but there is a specific flow in every design that either way feels fluid and whole or stagnant and thus unfinished. While finishing a piece I am working towards a sort of harmony, that can be felt while perceiving the creation.

V: Jewellery sits so close to the body. Do you see it as a way to express emotion, or as a way to contain it?

A: For me containment and expression can’t be separated, as containment itself is expressive and expression must be contained first before it can even be authentic. I feel that Jewellery works in both directions, containing within and expressing into the outer realm. It creates a mirror that works in both ways - a reflection for the wearer as well as for the observer.


V: How do you decide what part of yourself to put into a piece and what to keep private?

A: I believe that an artist can’t decide what part to express and which one to keep private, as the creations are the embodiment of an artist’s depth, where privacy doesn’t really exist. In the process itself the artist becomes so vulnerable, so open - expressing from a place where there doesn’t exist separation between privacy and disclosure. 

V: Has your idea of beauty changed over time, especially working at such an intimate scale?

A: Definitely, in general I witness myself re-defining beauty over and over again on the journey of growing and getting older. Especially my connection to nature has changed my definition of beauty into something more energetic than physical. My work allows me to observe many different layers of beauty, from how something looks to how something feels or expresses itself.

V: Jewellery is tied to value: gold, stones, time. What kind of value matters most to you now? 

A: The material and the stones do not matter for me if used without a deeper intention. I feel that just using expensive goods is not enough to create jewellery that is of worth. What makes these materials valuable is underlying inspiration and essence that allows the piece to come into form. For me value lies in the message contained beneath material’s worth. 

V: The industry loves clean narratives, inspiration boards, brand DNA. How do you keep mystery in your work?

A: Mystery comes from authentic expression. Even for myself my work is a mystery until the moment I start creating, as I am not planning my designs in advance or draw them first. As my work is deeply bond to myself it will never be possible to keep a clean narrative, as the story of the brand will shift with me changing and transforming. 

V: What is something in your creative process that you still protect from the commercial side of the industry?

A: What seems the most important is to protect the expression of what feels authentic to create and not deliver what is expected or wanted to be seen. Not creating without including my own values, not separating the craft itself from my own artistic expression. Letting their unity be the foundation of my work. 

V: When a piece leaves your hands and meets someone’s skin, do you still feel connected to it?

A: Jewellery creates bridges or channels, and that’s one of the most beautiful parts in my work. As soon as the pieces meet and adorn someone else’s skin, the connection between creator and creations seems to get transmitted to the wearer. The emotional connection to the pieces will always stay, but more inspirational than personal I would say.

V: What is exciting you right now, inside or outside your practice?

A: Ending cycles to open new ones, letting go what was known to create space for the new to come, something nobody teaches better than nature. Sometimes excitement goes hand in hand with the unknown, something that I feel really present right now, as Alemor closes an old chapter with the end of this year to birth a new one. Deeply exited for what’s to come, for the mystery hold by the known and unknown. Stay tuned.