Celine Cesar Compression Project
It is an evolution of the Celine wardrobe with new proportions and the dominance of smooth velvet as the foundation of the collection. The collection is unisex; the men’s looks can be for women and vice versa, including the bags. All of the embroidery is done by hand. For the boys, we can speak of a form of new romanticism. All of the boys are wearing silk blouses.
A numbered and limited edition of 100 vermeil and 100 silver pieces, edited by Celine in collaboration with the Fondation César.
The first “directed compressions” were created by the sculptor césar in 1959 beginning with small-scale forms, the sculptures were initially made from soldered and welded metallic objects and scrap metals such as piping and license plates. He often collected and used found objects and materials to make his sculptures. The idea of compressing form came to césar the year before whilst visiting a scrap merchant in search of metal. Here he saw a large-scale hydraulic crushing machine in action and decided to experiment with it for sculptures. Recycling was always used within his compression work. Very quickly, these sculptures took on large scale proportions. The hydraulic press enabled cesar to create his now renowned car compressions, transforming an everyday ob ject into a monumental sculpture. This mechanical action, an almost industrial process, plays upon the perceived function of the object, a new era of “ready-made”. This technique, which césar called “demystification”, takes on a new form when he starts to compress jewellery.
In 1971, césar started to collect old jewellery from his friends and family – pieces of sentimental value, family heirlooms. Compressed, these take on a totemic form, becoming a symbolic pendant hung on a leather cord or chain. A retractable hook enables the pendant to be perceived as not only a piece of jewellery but also a stand-alone sculpture. For the collaboration; the jewellery is presented in a simple and artisanal pine box, hot-stamped with the artist’s signature. The compression has a dual identity as a piece of jewellery and an object of art; equally its container, both a utilitarian box and a pedestal for its contents.
It is supposed to be held and rendered personal by its emotional and physical weight. Through this tactile manipulation, it becomes a talisman of strength and reassurance, regardless of gender. This spirit is reflected in the original celine woman, whose silhouette and attitude from paris in the 1970s. Both Celine and César’s stories pay homage to the memory and the familiarity of the individual.
The collaboration between the maison Celine and the fondation césar offers the opportunity to reconnect with this artistic journey via the fabrication of a limited-edition series of jewellery pieces in silver and vermeil. Each is individually numbered and presented in a box stamped with the signature of the artist.
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