Yuki Ferdinandsen

Setting a beat for modern silverwork

• Yuki specialises in the arare technique
• She works on the balance between matt and gloss
• Her pieces are the result of her rich cultural background

Yuki Ferdinandsen was born in Japan and has been living in Denmark since 1988. She trained as a silversmith and chaser in both countries. After finishing the Institute of Precious Metals she worked at the silverware company, Georg Jensen, and today has her own workshop. She has participated in a number of exhibitions around the world, and won several highly prestigious awards. A single piece from Yuki's workshop can take months of disciplined work. Once the silver object has been raised as a form, the process to define the surface begins. The result is a sculptural work that is artistically meaningful, both in concept and form. Her treatment of the surface is painstakingly executed with chased bumps in intricate patterns.

Interview

©Martin Mydskov

©Martin Mydskov

Was a merge of two cultures possible in your work?

With living in Denmark and experiencing the Danish culture, I am able to view Japan with a Danish filter. I want to sense these two vastly different cultures and thus let them re-arrange naturally in my mind influencing the visions of my works.

Where do you find your inspiration?

My inspiration mostly comes from nature, expressed through the Fibonacci spiral systematic. With my hammer, with its small bumps, I give form to a plate of silver. The solid piece acquires a floating appearance and a degree of flexibility.

What are the specific features of silver as a material?

Silver has a very charming glow that produces both shadow and light. This quality makes silver uniquely suited for the arare technique. The matt silver surface is perceived as warm, and shiny arare points appear cold.

What do you love most about your profession?

My hammer’s 'dance' makes a sound that creates a rhythm that I sense throughout my body and enjoy within my soul. I enjoy every stroke, the sound of the metal being struck, and I follow this with a step with my foot. It is a mode of working that is never stifled by fatigue.

Yuki Ferdinandsen is an expert artisan: she began her career in 1979

Works

©Iben_Kaufmann

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©Iben_Kaufmann

©Iben_Kaufmann

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