Busacca Gallery

Absolutely spectacular Contemporary Amber Ring by the Jewelry artist Sławomir Fijałkowski. Amber is a fossilized tree resin that has been used by humans for thousands of years as a gemstone and a source of perfume. It is found in many parts of the world, including Russia. The earliest known use of amber in Russia dates back to the Neolithic period, around 4000 BC. In the following centuries, amber was used by the ancient Russians for a variety of purposes, including as a decorative material and as a form of currency. During the Middle Ages, Russia became a major trading center for amber, with the city of Novgorod serving as a hub for the trade. The city's location along the Volkhov River made it an ideal place to trade with other parts of Europe and Asia. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Russia's amber trade reached its peak, with the country exporting large quantities of amber to other parts of Europe. However, the industry began to decline in the 18th and 19th centuries due to a variety of factors, including the rise of synthetic materials and the decline of the Russian Empire. Today, Russia is still a significant source of amber, and the material continues to be used for a variety of purposes, including in jewelry and as a component in perfumes. When designing objects of everyday and non-everyday use, we attempt to build action strategies based on an analysis of the situation, not an analysis of the competition. We are not afraid of the ambiguously interpreted notion of lifestyle: we understand it literally, as a style of life where a celebration of the everyday requires accomplished products made of natural materials, with attention to durability, practical context and timeless style.

I am an academic teacher, a professor of fine arts, myself. I run the Experimental Design Studio at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk / PL, where we strive to carry out in-depth analyses of the direction in which the creative industries are evolving, in order not to follow the easy road of exclusively functional and marketing necessities. I am also the curator of the International Jewellery Art Competition in Legnica and the Amberif jewellery trade show in Gdańsk, author of books and theoretical studies on contemporary design, a critical observer of consumer trends and a fan of (a sometimes a participant in) subversive counterculture.