Marianne Hellman

Using animal material and old crafting techniques, I have investigated the relationship between human and nonhuman animals. This complex and dissonant relationship is influenced by hierarchies amongst species and is a disturbed balance with consequences for the ecosystem.
The material was provided to me by a huntsman in the form of animal bodies parts considered to be waste. This random selection of material, I challenged myself not to turn down.
The time I spent refining the material made me confront my personal attitude and hierarchies towards animals. It made me aware of my own impact and responsibilities even though I did not pull the trigger. The difference between an animal with a name and the anonymous herd of deer became brutally present. That affected how I valued the material and treasured the need for sustainability. By using it for jewellery and corpus, I investigated a way to pay my respects for a life once lived.