Otherworldly tales, the rare beauty lying in little imperfections and a trip to the majestic land of India are what driven Norwegian designer Bjørg Nordli-Mathisen to start her own label almost a decade ago. Today BJØRG is considered to be one of the finest brands of jewellery with high-end jewelers, fashion boutiques and galleries stocking their products worldwide while counting several famous fans including the likes of David Bowie and Katy Perry.
Despite your Norwegian background, you only first started making jewellery while in India. Was there something in specific during your stay there that sparked your desire to create?
Well, I was never really that interested in jewellery before I moved to India. It always seemed very inhibited, jewellery had seemed to have so many limitations, but in India I was exposed to a lot of antique jewellery with very beautiful motifs and they were often quite worn due to their age. That aesthetic really appealed to me. For example a pendant with the face of a god, where the lines in the face had been worn down but you could still see the expression and beauty of the craftsmanship. It was what I like to call “the beauty of imperfection”, which has become sort of a mantra for me.
Bjørg is just another word for help in Old Norse. Your jewellery on the other hand echo of a profound strength and independence. How do you view this contradiction?
Interesting observation. I guess I would have to say that it takes strength and independence to have the courage to ask for help… Also, I believe jewellery is just an extension of the person who bears it, it changes its meaning and story depending on who owns it, so in that sense you could say that the jewellery becomes a little helper of sorts. It is an extension of yourself.
Speaking about contradictions, your latest collection, Rivers of Time, actually focuses on the concept of eternal change. Do you find yourself excited or intimated by the perpetual flux of nature?
It excites me. I have always felt that nature’s own design cannot be topped, whatever abstract images or shapes we create they are always an extension of nature’s design. I am very humbled by that thought and always prefer a texture or shape to be directly “lifted” from nature rather than something visibly man-made.
What usually takes place before each new collection?
Each collection has its own dynamic and process, but the main constant is always a lot of research. We usually know very clearly which direction we want to go, after finishing the previous collection, and we develop a line of thought or a theme as a boundary for where and far we can go. That makes it easier to keep ideas and also get rid of ideas, even if that is heart-breaking sometimes. But we always try to be concise and strict with regards to the pieces having to work as a whole.
Visuals always seem to have a very important place in the way you choose to promote your brand, with folklore tales and ancient legends being the main inspiration points. What is so appealing about merging the ‘old’ with more contemporary mediums such as photography and video?
I am glad to hear that, but there is not really a master-plan behind this. It is very intuitive and I guess the aesthetics of old hold a very special place in our hearts. Folklore and myths have been important to the jewellery as much as the visuals that surround them so it is more logical extension of that universe I would say.
We have seen many of your pieces trespassing to pop culture with quite a few artists such as Katy Perry and most recently David Bowie, featuring them in some of their video clips. Given that Bjørg is characterized by its unique artistic standpoint, how do you view this new mainstream status?
I am all for trespassing into what might be considered mainstream and if David Bowie is there – even better. Often the most interesting art or culture has a way reaching a lot of people. I would say the challenge is recognising that what got you there was your own instincts and not worrying about the “mainstream”, so one has to stay true to those instincts and not let exposure or wider audience change your way of thinking.
What should we wait for in the near future from Bjørg?
We currently putting the finishing touches on the designs for our next collection which I am very excited about. We have been very inspired by geometry and deconstructivism this time so I’m really curious to learn how it is received.