Elizabeth Degenszejn

Elizabeth Degenszejn RCA

Elizabeth is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics at PUC University, Brazil and a Diploma in Ceramics at City Lit, London.

The object she has chosen for her project is a porcelain vase made in Derby, UK, ca. 1760. It was originally made to decorate a table setting for a dessert course. Made of soft-paste porcelain, painted with enamels and gilded, this vase was created in the rococo style.

What initially drew her to this piece was its unusual characteristics of asymmetry and movement, which remarkably contrasted with the fine and classical aesthetic references of the Meissen and Sèvres factory pieces she grew up admiring. These characteristics spoke to a need for breaking the rigidity of her upbringing where signs of individuality and expressions of personal identity were boxed in. The conflict between confinement and liberation shaped her life.

Her response to this project is ‘Release, a contemporary interpretation of the rococo. It was inspired by qualities that define the style: an asymmetric ornamentation, the use of the curved “S” scroll form and the many lines of its signature motif, the acanthus leaf. This porcelain sculpture is a minimalist piece that contrasts with the elaborate ornamental rococo style, conveying a sense of personal identity. It’s movement and forms express escape and freedom and makes room for her to be herself.

Left: Elizabeth Dagenszejn. Release Left: Porcelain vase in rococo style - ©Victoria and Albert Museum London