Jewellery Making & Ancestral Connection Storytelling Workshop by Nelden Djakababa Gericke
Craft making is a refuge and means of taking care of oneself. In trauma recovery, community based circles, weaving and crafting, pulling and pushing, is a symbolic means of helping us work through something in an environment where we feel supported, safe, and comfortable to explore these knots and loops within ourselves. Jewellery are tangible objects, embodied experiences, sometimes passed down through generations to remind oneself of a moment, a memory, a person, an ancestry, or a feeling. It is also something you wear that connects and touches your body (“The Body Keeps the Score”). We choose the symbols of our lives and how they compliment them by adorning our experiences on our body, like with jewellery. Your survival does not depend on whether or not you wear the right bracelet, but it can be used to signal what is important to you OR your representation/how we want to present ourselves to the world. It’s like a happy place you take with you ;p.
While experiences are valid, they can sometimes feel less tangible as time goes on. Through jewellery making, we are reminded that we are real, valid, and adaptable. Just like the pieces we create, play with objects and possibilities without it being set in stone (or resin!) just yet.
In this 4-hour, one-time weekend workshop, we learn the skills of jewellery making, connect with community by telling our stories and craft, create, adapt, and set a piece of jewellery that you get to take home with you. Join us in crafting, creating, and learning together.
What will I learn?
How to make jewellery
How to create pendants
How to set resin
How to manipulate material
How to connect with ancestral memories
How to symbolize experiences into physical forms
What will I need?
All jewellery making materials are provided :)
Old photos of ancestors (ideally more than one copy of the original, because we’re gonna cut them up to size and if there’s a mistake, we can take the second copy)
Small objects like buttons, coins, stamps, etc. (Whatever the items, be mentally ready to encase them in resin)
Your ideas and vulnerability
Feel free to bring additional materials/textiles
Who is the workshop for?
This entry-level workshop for BIPoC Women*, Women* with Migration, and/or Refugee Background
Basic jewellery making experience is nice but not necessary.
The location is wheelchair accessible. Workshop will be in English with translations available upon request. B1/B2 level English comprehension is recommended. Coffee & Tea will be provided. Lunch will not be provided but there are many options in the Alexanderplatz area.