16.10 – 18.10.2026
Manuel
Vilhena
Whatever comes our way
An investigation into unconscious creative processes
During this week-end we will be exploring how we can tap into our unconscious resources for creativity.
What is the Unconscious? What is the conscious? How do they relate to each other? Is this important for artistic work? We will answer these (and other) questions from a creator‘s point of view and will experience how the unveiling of these ideas impacts our personal creative work.
We uncover ways of creating relationships with our unconscious processes to help us
produce our artistic work in ways that we did not imagine possible, but that, never-theless, are always present, sometimes, just hidden.
It is a journey of personal expression where discussing concepts, presenting ideas and making jewels become intertwined in a dynamic and energetic environment.
What is the Unconscious? What is the conscious? How do they relate to each other? Is this important for artistic work? We will answer these (and other) questions from a creator‘s point of view and will experience how the unveiling of these ideas impacts our personal creative work.
We uncover ways of creating relationships with our unconscious processes to help us
produce our artistic work in ways that we did not imagine possible, but that, never-theless, are always present, sometimes, just hidden.
It is a journey of personal expression where discussing concepts, presenting ideas and making jewels become intertwined in a dynamic and energetic environment.
Manuel Vilhena
1967 – Lisbon, Portugal
Started making jewellery in his teens learning from master craftsmen in Brazil and Italy. He completed his training as a classical goldsmith in 1989 in Lisbon, Portugal. Curious about Contemporary Jewellery, he made his way to Cologne, Germany, to study with Prof. Peter Skubic and later enrolled at the Royal College of Art, London, under Prof. David Watkins, where he completed his Masters’ degree in 1998.
In 1999 he founded Postcon to promote and explore ‘Post-Contemporary Jewellery’ and other far-fetched ideas. Some are contained in Manuel’s book „Do you speak Jewellery?©“ (1998), a seminal text for Contemporary Jewellery theory, revisited in 2015 in the follow-up „DYSJ 2“. In 2018 he completed a Masters in Education at Lisbon University and presently he runs programmes for Art Teacher Training and other educational projects.
He has taught extensively at jewellery related institutions around the world, including the Royal College of Art, Hiko Mizuno Jewellery College, Tokyo, Silpakorn University, Bangkok; ARCO school, Lisbon, the Shenkar College in Tel-Aviv and the Alchimia School, Florence, where he was senior lecturer for six years. He was workshop leader at the Salzburg Summer Academy for two years and held a Professorship at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts for four years. Today he is senior lecturer at Algures Contemporary Jewellery School, Brazil.
He is an entertaining lecturer and most of what he says is true.
His artwork has been shown in many countries and the work is present in public collections, including that of the Danner Rotunde, Munich, and that of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
He practises worldwide aiming at developing the creative and expressive potential of people through the arts.
1967 – Lisbon, Portugal
Started making jewellery in his teens learning from master craftsmen in Brazil and Italy. He completed his training as a classical goldsmith in 1989 in Lisbon, Portugal. Curious about Contemporary Jewellery, he made his way to Cologne, Germany, to study with Prof. Peter Skubic and later enrolled at the Royal College of Art, London, under Prof. David Watkins, where he completed his Masters’ degree in 1998.
In 1999 he founded Postcon to promote and explore ‘Post-Contemporary Jewellery’ and other far-fetched ideas. Some are contained in Manuel’s book „Do you speak Jewellery?©“ (1998), a seminal text for Contemporary Jewellery theory, revisited in 2015 in the follow-up „DYSJ 2“. In 2018 he completed a Masters in Education at Lisbon University and presently he runs programmes for Art Teacher Training and other educational projects.
He has taught extensively at jewellery related institutions around the world, including the Royal College of Art, Hiko Mizuno Jewellery College, Tokyo, Silpakorn University, Bangkok; ARCO school, Lisbon, the Shenkar College in Tel-Aviv and the Alchimia School, Florence, where he was senior lecturer for six years. He was workshop leader at the Salzburg Summer Academy for two years and held a Professorship at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts for four years. Today he is senior lecturer at Algures Contemporary Jewellery School, Brazil.
He is an entertaining lecturer and most of what he says is true.
His artwork has been shown in many countries and the work is present in public collections, including that of the Danner Rotunde, Munich, and that of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
He practises worldwide aiming at developing the creative and expressive potential of people through the arts.