Art Jewelry and the Plumber’s Craft

Wolfgang Huber’s historic workshop in Kisslegg in the western Allgäu region is filled with antique copper sheets, fragments of roofs, fittings, 18th-century gargoyles and countless other paraphernalia. Hammers in every shape and size, hammering equipment, pliers, gauges and compasses are still in use here, testifying to the collecting passion of this master plumber and monument conservator. The upper part of the building houses a modern exhibition room paneled with scale-like metal sheets.

Susanne Hammer, necklace made of historical copper plate with natural patina. Photo Henry M. Linder.

Susanne Hammer, necklace made of galvanized steel and historical copper sheets with natural patina.
Photo Henry M. Linder.

Fascination for materials and tools is equally evident in Susanne Hammer’s work. After studying jewelry and later also design in Vienna, this Kisslegg-born designer has been exploring diverse materials and their applicability to jewelry. She has lived and worked in Vienna since 1986, participated in numerous international exhibitions, talks and workshops, and also been active as a curator for three decades. She founded the College for Jewelry Design at the School for Art and Fashion on Herbststrasse in Vienna in 2009.

Modern art and historical craftsmanship in dialogue. The Huber plumber’s workshop in Kißlegg in the Allgäu mountain region. Photo Wolfgang Huber.

The plumber’s workshop with historical tools reveals Wolfgang Huber’s passion for collecting. Photo Wolfgang Huber.

Susanne Hammer and Wolfgang Huber have been friends for decades. Their sharing about art, design and craft is now bearing its first visible fruits in a joint project: a jewelry exhibition will take place in the showroom of the building to celebrate Hammer’s 60th birthday. In addition to selected works from the past three decades, a series of works will be shown that Susanne Hammer developed in cooperation with Wolfgang Huber. She uses the folding and beading techniques of the plumber’s craft to transform zinc and copper into wearable pieces of jewelry. In the newly added cabinet, Susanne Hammer is also presenting 10kissleggerfrauen (10 women from kissleg), a photo project that she developed together with the Kisslegg-based photographer Henry M. Linder. Women of various ages are portrayed wearing Susanne Hammer’s jewelry.