Artist profile Patrizia Mund
Aside from designing and manufacturing glass jewellery for my brand, Heart Bead, launched in 2017, I also create artwork which is mainly based on the medium of glass. My studio is located close to Kempten, Germany.
Topics
My work represents a search for the freedom of shape; a letting go of geometrical and cultural conventions. The work is strongly influenced by personal experiences made by my travels, by connecting with other cultural perceptions, and by a sense of not fitting into the world. My intense time of working as a professional diver a few years ago also creates a great impact to my work which is why glass is chosen to be the main instrument of communication. Similar to capturing a moment in a photograph, I perceive glass as a medium which enables me to share these experiences with water by employing its characteristics of light play, fragility, and the way it acts in its liquid state. Additionally, the relationship between society and an individual being is a topic constantly reflected upon in my artwork.
The brand, Heart Bead, is characterized by a very colorful design. Color, in this context, is used to express the feelings of the person who is wearing the jewellery. Since the jewellery also mainly features floral shapes, it is supposed to radiate joy and to sharpen the senses. Overall, Heart Bead uses jewellery as an instrument of connectivity, curiosity for life and self-confidence.
Techniques
In my work, I mainly focus in soft glass lampworking. This type of glass is different to other types mainly in regard to its flowing behaviour. I apply traditional and newly developed beadmaking techniques in a great scale of colors and am highly interested in the meditation-like, intense concentration, which the technique and material demand. In addition, my main fascination is in the details and creating multi-layered worlds to discover within the relatively small dimension of a bead.
In my artwork, I also apply further techniques to glass such as coldworking, kiln shaping, Pâte de Verre, and others. My work can also include additional materials such as wires, concrete and organic matter (shell, stone, teeth).
Role in society
My intention is to raise awareness for possible life paths that are off the beaten track of society, embracing uniqueness and sharing intense experiences.
In this context, I decide to communicate on the non-verbal level of art. This enables a dialogue which is not based on trying to convince the recipient of a certain idea, but on inspiring the recipient on reflecting upon this topic by himself/herself.