At the Finnish Museum of Watchmaking and Jewellery Kruunu, 46 pieces are on display in the exhibition «Minun Welt II» - in English, «My World II». The jewellery is the result of a collaboration between Finnish goldsmiths and designers and 16 women who came to Finland from countries such as Nepal, Kenya, Brazil and England. The exhibition will run until 27 April and is the second in the «My World» series. The first, in 2022, connected jewellery manufacturers with Finnish residents with disabilities.
One of the new exhibits is a parure, or set, of matching jewellery in amber, silver and 14-carat gold. It was designed by Kaisa Vuorinen, a goldsmith, and Ita Petrika-Lindroos, who moved to Finland from Latvia in 2009.
The design of each piece features multiple strips of silver or gold wrapped around an amber bead.
As Ms Vuorinen wrote in an email, it symbolises the teachers and family members who had supported Ms Petrika-Lindroos as she studied Finnish - a notoriously difficult language to learn - and worked as a cleaner and waitress. She is now pursuing a career in human resources and, in 2022, earned a master's degree in business administration.
«I felt exhaustion, fear and uncertainty,» Petrika-Lindros wrote in a note that visitors to the exhibition can access via a QR code. «But what gave me strength is the feeling that I am in the right place. That I am surrounded by people who care about me.».
Also another exhibit is a series of cuff bracelets created by Inni Parnanen and Cleibe Tommila. The former is an artist and designer in Helsinki and the latter emigrated from Brazil in 1999.
Made of plywood, ink and wax, the bracelets have the grey and translucent look. The one that envelops the country during its long winters. A season that both women have found challenging.
«During our discussions, I realized that I have multiple similarities with her. Even though our cultural backgrounds are different,» Parnanen wrote in an email. «Her journey intersected with mine.».
Ms Tommila's notes for the report stated that she appreciated many aspects of Finnish life, but that she had experienced discrimination in working environments stemming from her age and background and that she felt Finland «would be a better place to live if there was more tolerance and inclusiveness towards diversity».
Essi Pullinen, the museum's director, said she had selected the women through Vaestoliitto, a family planning and support organization, and had randomly matched them with jewelry makers. She said the global #MeToo movement inspired her to create the exhibition series, «Inclusion, participation and equality are very important issues for us and for museums in general today.».
However, the event took place as the Finnish authorities are tightening immigration laws, while expressing concerns about attracting and retaining talented and skilled workers from abroad. A recent survey of foreign workers from 53 countries ranked the country last in terms of career prospects.
Most of the women, many of whom held university degrees and gave up flourishing careers to come to Finland. But they wrote in the report notes that they valued the country's calm, security and stability. But several described feelings of isolation, loneliness and depression. And some expressed frustration that, despite learning Finnish, they had received few responses to, in some cases, hundreds of job applications.
Some, however, spoke of their move in different terms. Bahar Mozaffari, who fled Iran to escape persecution as a women's rights activist, and Susana Corneh, a jewelry designer, worked on the design of a silver and gold-plated necklace with a pendant set with a garnet star.
«Whether it's shared meals, nature trips or warm evenings at home, every moment is full of love and a sense of belonging,» she wrote in the exhibition notes about her life in Finland, adding that such moments reminded her “why she chose her path and what really matters in life.”.
The post In Finland, Jewelry Tells the Stories of Immigrant Women appeared first on The New York Times.
Source: dnyuz.com
