Concept

Hold me is a study on embodied memories and discomfort, blending manual and digital techniques.

Western thought has been rooted in the dualism of mind and body for centuries. The Leib—the lived body, which experiences sensations, emotions, and actions—and the Körper—the objectified body, analysable and measurable from the outside. This separation established the primacy of the mind, reducing the body to a mechanical function, merely a passive instrument disconnected from subjective experience. Modern philosophy has sought to mend this fracture by bringing the soma—a Greek term signifying the inseparable unity of body and mind—back to the centre of inquiry. The so-called “somatic turn” emphasises that cognition is always embodied: the lived body is not just a physical object but a dynamic structure intertwined with the world and shaped by experience.

This holistic perspective reveals a deep, bodily knowledge—one often inexpressible in words. The body records experiences, emotions, and traumas not just as a vessel for the mind but as an active force that co-creates reality. Sensory and perceptual experiences leave imprints not only on our psyche but also on our physical being, continuously shaping cognition. These painful experiences become embedded in bodily attitudes, crystallising into postures, tensions, and somatic patterns that are difficult to undo.

The Hold Me series explores vulnerability as an act of risk, exposure, and partial surrender of autonomy. The human body's inherent fragility is essential to inter-corporeal relationships, as the body mediates between what is internal, hidden, and subjective and what is external, explicit, and observable. This negotiation is necessary yet complex, often fraught with conflict. The pieces materialise a reflection on how, in specific contexts and relationships, the mind and body become trapped in ingrained “postures”—deeply rooted patterns that generate discomfort yet remain challenging to escape. The resin forms, moulded to follow the body's contours, invite touch: they embrace the curves of the neck, hands, fingers, collarbones, and knees. At the same time, the metal elements embedded in the smooth surfaces create an opposing tension—micro-spheres, small cones, and spikes repel the touch, making contact uncomfortable, even unpleasant.

Holding these objects is a voluntary yet often painful act. This gesture reflects the intricate relationship between vulnerability and resistance, the longing for connection and the need for protection.

Materials: Resin, stainless steel, silver
Tools| tecniques: 3d Scanning, 3d Modeling, goldsmithing

Pieces title:
Hold me, I’ll care for you
Hold me, while keeping the distance
Hold me, within a lie
Hold me, in this delicate balance
Hold me, even if it hurts

The project was presented at Munich Jewellery Week 2025, Outer Casing exhibition curated by Letizia Maggio and Raquel Bessudo.