LOD a fixed star on the swedish jewellery scene

Necklace, “Water lily”, silver with citrin. Model: Petronella Eriksson.

Photography: Christian Habetzeder.

Silver necklace: “Arch”, Maki Okamoto.

Photography: Christian Habetzeder.

Since 1999 the Swedish public has been able to enjoy an interesting mixed collection of jewellery and corpus silver at the gallery and workshop of the jewellery cooperative LOD on Norra Agnegatan 40 in the Kungsholmen area in central Stockholm. For 22 years This group of young artists has grown into a wellestablished and known establishment providing exhibitions, happenings and many other forms of activity besides offering what you would call normal jewelers´ services to a solid customer base.

It all started when six young artists after their graduation from Konstfack, University of Arts- Craft and Design, were thinking about their future and how to utilize their skills for the best benefit. The answer was found in the shape of a collective where each artist could develop their own skills but as a group have the support of colleagues and create a more interesting and diverse concept for the public. The fuonding members were Erik Tidäng, Åsa Lockner, Tobias Birgersson, Klara Eriksson, Eva Wistedt and David Taylor.

- We wanted to create a platform to earn a living of making jewellery and corpus silver. Run a gallery shop with a work studio, have the possibility to have individual exhibitions and create other exciting projects as a group as well as individually. - The name LOD has several meanings and illustrates in many ways the craft we are working in. LOD means solder and solder is of course something that holds pieces together, like our group. Lod also means a plummet. A devise for indicating a straight vertical line using the law of gravity.

Of the original six founding members only Erik Tidäng and Klara Eriksson are left. Lod has proven to be an excellent platform where the members have been able to develop their artistic direction and grow as artists. All of the original members that have left LOD during the years are still working as appreciated artists in the field of jewellery and design carrying with them the experience of LOD.

LOD is of course after 22 years a cemented part of the jewellery scene in Stockholm. When asked what role they have on the Swedish jewellery scene they state:

- We desire to be an open meeting place. A place where upcoming artists can get guidance. A place where you can pop in for a bit of advice or just to borrow a tool if needed. This is for us a way to reach out and share our vast combined competence and experience. LOD is a shop, a gallery and a workshop. It is a place for people to meet with the unexpected and find what they need. A working community and a place for inspiration and discussions where the love for metal as material is the recurring theme.

Working in a community raises the question of how to get all the bits and pieces in place and how to share the responsibility? LOD has created a structure that works for them. Every Monday is started with a meeting where current things are being discussed. The meeting is followed by a designated time when everybody is contributing to the common good. Everybody does the things they are good at. Everything from marketing, display, economy, social media to everyday chores such as cleaning and maintenance of the premises. During the week everybody has one day assigned when in charge of customer service. - We like to reach out to our customers by doing some special events, the whole group together. During Christmas season we usually make a collection of simple objects. Last year’s theme was light and shadow and ended up in 

Brosch: “I am ok”. Model: Anna Nordström

Photography: Christian Habetzeder.

The dinner, table set with productsa from LOD.

 lanterns, Christmas tree decorations, a lamp and a sundial. We also like to make simple small things like cocktail cutlery for customers for them to get used to buying silver objects. Our specialty is that we can produce almost anything from metal. Everything from wedding bands to lamps and furniture.

Since LOD has six individual artists working everybody has their own style and specialty.

Erik Tidäng is driven by exploring new techniques and methods that he develops and combines with traditional silversmithing. This gives him a very broad range to create everything from very precise wedding bands to big sculptures in steel.

Maki Okamoto works within the extended field of contemporary jewellery. Deeply caring for the relationship between human and object. Maki works metal into pieces where the functional and sensory meet reoccurring themes such as memory and emptiness. Never with a downhearted sense of loss or hollowness but with a life affirming melancholy whereby Maki passes her work to wearer or viewer with a notion that it only marks the beginning of the story.

Petronella Eriksson is educated as a goldsmith. She gets her inspiration from forests and plants. Her pots like to be covered with soot from the campfire and to be washed in a stream. Her jewellery grows with the traces of use. The art consists of the use of the piece.

Pernilla Sylwan has a background in scenography. It is very detectable in her approach to her creations. She examines expression and form through quantities and groups, where every group becomes a scenography in itself.

Anna Nordström is the most recent member of LOD. She appreciates harmony in lines and the fragility of the graceful, but through the roughness in forging. Welding and hammering are her thing which you can clearly see in her sculptural wall pieces made by welding.

Klara Eriksson likes to examine the nature of curves in different objects such as bowls and rings. She loves for her objects to be used and worn during long periods of time bringing joy and satisfaction to the user. Her objects will bring an element of luxury and wellbeing in your everyday life.

LOD is a meeting place, a marketplace and an important center for jewellery, design and art. A place to see experience and explore whether you are an artist, goldsmith or a customer and shear a passionate interest for all the possibilities the field of metalwork and art can offer. It is also the home and workplace of six talented and experienced artists whose combined talent makes the magic happen. There will shortly be a book released about the 22 great years of LOD.

Shell glasses, Pernilla Sylwan.

When visiting Stockholm, you are most welcome to pay us a visit. ■

www.lod.nu

Henrik KIHLMAN

Teapot: “Tea online”, Erik Tidäng.