Atis Sáez

Jewellery maker

©Atis Saez

Weaving with copper and silver

Atis makes woven metal jewellery pieces
Her work is connected to her homeland, Chile
She is inspired by society, nature and light

Atis Sáez' initial training was in Industrial Design, a career she finished at the Universidad Tecnológica Metropolitana. Once she obtained her degree she worked for a few years in various areas of design and after three years she took up jewellery studies at the Center for Extension of Arts at the University of Chile, where she spent a year. "Then I complemented my training with different hands-on jewellery workshops," says Atis. "I worked as an assistant to a jeweler for half a year, during which time I learned jewellery mass production techniques." Her specialty is metal knitting in a variety of specific techniques. She also designs signature jewellery and metal structures using traditional techniques. Atis has taken her pieces to international biennials such as Florence and Salon Revelations in Paris.

Interview

©Atis Saez

©Atis Saez

How much of Chile is there in your work?: The concept I work on is about Chilean society and its changes in recent times. This is specifically about migratory movements and how this has changed the human geography in our territory. I express this through form, technique and above all with Chilean copper.
What do you find to be the most satisfying aspect of your work?: Autonomy: being able to carry out a complete process, from the original idea, and the previous tests to the realisation of the finished jewel. The final satisfaction of being able to make with my own hands what I have in mind and sometimes being surprised by the results.
Is there anything that people do not know about your creative process?: I make all the pieces by hand, even processing the silver to obtain different formats with which I work. Usually, people are amazed that my pieces are woven metal.
What does well made mean to you?: A work that has craft, that is to say, that is technically well executed. The fact that it is handmade does not imply that it must have errors in order to be understood as handmade. What a well made piece should communicate is its aesthetics, not the way it was made.

Atis Sáez is a master artisan: she began her career in 2005 and she started teaching in 2008