Rosenborg Castle

The creation of Night and Day

At the special exhibition PEARLS Royal Splendour - Modern Design there are lot of historical baroque pearls, quirky artifacts and paintings of kings and queens. They have used pearls as status symbols to demonstrate position and wealth.

Pearls still fascinates and to this exhibition famous Danish goldsmiths have given their ideas of modern interpretations. Jytte Kløve has contributed to the exhibition with the beautiful candlesticks Night and Day. Day is made of glossy gold and white South Sea pearls and Night is made of silver and dark South Sea pearls.

She tells about the ideas behind the design of the candlesticks and you are invited behind the scene and offered the rare opportunity to follow the creative process of an artist. Jytte Kløve has played with contrasts in her design - light and dark - night and day - and she has used the nature and precious metals as source of inspiration.

I have to concentrate; I take a walk between heaven and earth. I think about light and darkness, about reflections and about the glow of the precious metals.

Between the shiny gold the light was reflected so there occurred a deep burning red color. It was a wonderful sight, which puzzled the mind. You watch the glow because of the light. You perceive the light in contrast to the dark. The light and the dark are night and day.

Jytte Kløve tells how the gold for one of the candlesticks transforms from long plates of gold into the round circles which the candlestick consists of. She thinks it is amazing to saw in the gold and thereby master the design.

When I take it into my hand I feel the fascination of the high bulk density, it causes the blood to boil and it is with deep gratitude I start to measure and cut out.

Kløve portrays how the selection of the pearls where quite a challenge, especially the black South Sea pearls, because the pearls differs a lot and are all unique in their expression, shape and brightness.

When you look at a thousand black pearls, they all seem alike at first sight. But after having watched them for a while they become more and more different form each other.

See the pictures from the making of the candlesticks Night and Day in this link