Eye prostheses, dentures and animal bones: this is what these jewels are designed not to like

Rings with glass prosthetic eyes, necklaces decorated with worn dentures, brooches with animal bones, surgical syringes adorned with steel hearts, and religious pieces with pendants of razor blades.

These are just some of the jewels that the artisan Remedios Vincent sells at FEEAS (Plaza Guardias de Corps 1, Madrid).

"I take uncomfortable things that nobody wants or that are no longer useful to turn them into something that defines the person who wears them," he explains to ICON Design from his workshop desk.

FEEAS jewelry is somewhat unpleasant to the naked eye and its creator is aware of this. It is part of your goal. “I'm not interested in things being pretty, or shiny, or polished. A piece made with blades or teeth, for example, does not fit into the classic concept of beauty, but it is special. That's where the motto of the workshop comes from,

Made to dislike

, ”Vincent acknowledges as he picks up a brooch made with a gilt steel molding and an ancient human tooth. “I want jewelry to show the passage of time. It makes me happy to find things that are broken and to form a usable piece for those who dare to put it on, of course ”, says the craftswoman.

A religious brooch with false teeth, a real human tooth encrusted in a golden frame, and a small heart pierced by four ancient needles.Mariana Gálvez

In one of the FEEAS showcases you can see eye prostheses and brooches made with antique porcelain.Mariana Gálvez

All the materials that Vincent uses can be found in antique dealers, auctions, internet pages or in markets around the world. “The eyes, for example, are made of glass or resin, some from the 1800s, and others are prosthetic eyes of people who lost their eyes after World War II. The rest are from old dolls or religious figures. The false teeth are also from those years, from people who died, left them in the drawer and his family sold them to antique stores, "he says as he opens the display case and takes out a silver brooch in the shape of a flower with teeth embedded in each petal. .

“They are very special objects: the eyes were made to measure for the person, they put a shine on them that gave them a real appearance, the veins were made with wool fibers ... The same happened with the dentures, they are true pieces of art ”Highlights Vincent.

"Now to make your eye they take a photo and print it in 3D, nothing is like before."

In FEEAS you can also find religious accessories such as rosaries, crucifixes or reliquaries;

ancient medical instruments such as syringes, needles, thermometers, magnifying glasses, and tweezers;

or own jewelry instruments such as watch gauges, pocket knives and screwdrivers.

Crucifix with a little virgin Mary in hand. FEEAS workshop

Vincent, originally from Plasencia and graduated in Fine Arts from the Complutense University of Madrid, prefers not to show her face in the photos or say her age. The Extremaduran has worked as a curator of urban art in the Madrid City Council and as an artist and organizer in art and light installations in different countries. The latter is his current job in the mornings, in the afternoons he is dedicated to FEEAS, the workshop he founded ten years ago. “It all started in this square [the Plaza de los Guardias Corps]. I was with my brother having a drink on a terrace and we saw that this place was rented. At first the pieces were only made for me, but people started asking me to sell them, ”he recalls.

The artist admits that she uses pieces that produce unpleasant feelings in her.

"This is how I face and channel my own demons, since my eyes and teeth scared me when I was little, I even had nightmares about them."

Despite this, in FEEAS humor and double meaning are never left behind: in their cabinets there is an old rosary with a light switch, necklaces that simulate penises, brooches in the shape of breasts, a porcelain pendant of baby arms with a blade between his wrists or a crucifix with a little Virgin Mary in his hand as an Oscar statuette.

Much of Vincent's craftsmanship is inspired by the work of the Czech artist Jan Švankmajer.

“We do not do exactly the same, but it is inevitable to think about his work when I design a jewel.

He is a god to me ”, he shares.

Antique rosary with a black light switch. FEEAS WORKSHOP

But who are FEEAS customers?

“The people who buy the most from me are the ones from the neighborhood, the ones who know me, the ones who spend three hours here and have tea with me.

I also sell through my website and I have had a lot of promotion because I am on the platform of independent artists and designers

Not Just a Label

(not just a label).

Young men with high purchasing power pass through the store and buy some jewelery for their partners.

Other times I find people who stare outside ”, he explains.

Vincent is also not interested in gold pieces, or that they are especially expensive.

“I can take an

art deco

brooch

because I like it and I put something on it that is worth two cents.

However, I do have things that are worth a lot of money, like the rings with eyes that cost around 250 euros.

Getting all of this is a great investment of money and time, and they are also exclusive pieces, no one is going to have two alike ”.

What the Extremaduran is looking for is that the pieces are used and not that they remain in a showcase.

"I am bothered by the world of fashion so superficial, so throwaway, that goes against my job", he emphasizes with conviction, and ends: "I hope someone wears these jewels, disassembles them and gives them a new use in the shop. future".

Necklace made with an animal bone and eyes of an old doll.lola martínez