Annie Roussel

Jewellery and pyrography

I started my post-secondary studies in arts before heading for literature, which resulted in me being immersed in ancient manuscripts for several years. Two old research companions, creative writing and my magnifying glass, eventually invited themselves into my art. I use my own literary creations in both pyrography and jewellery making. Written in tiny letters, they become textures and lines rather than signs carrying meaning, and this minuteness creates intimacy between the work and its viewer.

For my jewellery, this microscopic writing is combined with a desire to eliminate the value hierarchy of precious stones and metals. Rust or silver, bark or diamond, I believe everything nature offers should have the same status: that of a treasure. I like to contrast truth and make-believe, to show that beauty resides more in the stories of things and people, therefore in their scars, their imperfections, their vulnerability, rather than in the value judgment made from the outset by society.