Volker Atrops.
Piece: Alte Bandspange – Neu Bestickt, 2009.
Brass, cotton, synthetic material.
2 x 1 x 0,8 cm.
This old decoration is perforated by me in 2009 an old woman who worked in a jumble sale nearby a church stitched the word. I ask her, because she made extreme angry statements about the german army in afganistan the day before. She were kind and nice and I thought it would be nice to work together.

Photo: Volker Atrops.

Peter Bauhuis.
Medal: Asparagus Order of Doberlug, 2012.
Zinc silver, textile.
6 x 6,5 x 3,2 cm.
The Asparagus Order of Doberlug (it symbolises the pleasurable slurped asparagus tips)
The decoration is said to be handed over to the farmer with the most fertile land by the annually elected Aspara- gus-Princess (Southwestern Region of Lower Lusatia, Saxony, Germany, not far from the Polish border). During the time of the German Democratic Repu- blic (1949-89), we are told, it had been seen as a relict of the feudalistic exploi-tation of the farmers. (instead the de- corations „Hero of Labour“ and „Praise of the Asparagus Cutter“ were given to the best rural workers.) In 1991 the Order was reinstalled in its original meaning. The primal, longtime approved, very naturalistic shape of the sprouting aspargus as motive for the order was seen as inappropriate by the Catholic Sorbian minority in Southwest Lower Lusatia and after a strong campaign a new and contemporary design for the award was created. The motive was also used for advertising an asparagus spears packet soup by a big food company in 2001..

Gemma Draper.
Pendant: Lake Fortitude 7, 2011.
Slate, acrilyc, amethyst, brass, thread.
16 X 13 X 6 cm.
This work stems from the shyness to express some doubts; from the decision, later, to maintain the possibility of those doubts; and finally, a bet to keep this exercise alive by the acceptance of partners. It is a speculative work, and materials are treated primarily to call to dialogue, without bringing any immediate relief..

Alexander Friedrich.
Piece: Medal of Honour, 2010.
Jacket, thread.
80 x 60 x 3 cm.
You never know the background of a medal. Most of the medals are awards with a high value of recognition. Whether proud or ashamed, only the owner knows the story behind it. The outside shape and the meaning make it more anonymous.
The „Medal of Honour“ stands for the individual and personal meaning of a medal regarding to the wearer. The white and empty medal, which is coming from the inside, let the viewer think about it. The positive shape, which is cut out of the jacket and the occuring negative shape represent and reflect the two sides of a medal.

Photographer: Luis Návar.

Christine Graf.
Brooch: Entrusted History, 2012.
Copper mesh, Enamel, Gold, Fabric, Garnets, pattinated Silver.
10 x 8 x 3,2 cm.
Medals and badges - relicts belonging to the past or attributes of outstanding and heroic merits? It is not an impartial piece of jewellery suggesting an aesthetic beauty, but a badge well thought out placed central on the torso, which demonstrates the wearer's outstanding position in the relevant society. This piece of work is an interplay of mixed materials from different eras to visualise my ambivalence to this theme. 
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Grego García Tebar.
Necklace: Medalla Condecorativa al Sin Decoro, 2012.
Copper, acrylic, brass, silver, paper pulp, silk ribbon, tie.
43 x 15 x 50 cm.
Medal of distinction to without decorum, centerpiece carved in methacrylate with copper-based and paper pulp balls.
I use the badge as an estigma to point at someone, not so much to emphasize the virtues of this person but his bad habits. Not to provoke pride but shame, something similar to put the ears of a donkey... so why don't we started decorating..

Grego García Tebar.
Necklace: Medalla Condecorativa al Sin Decoro, 2012.
Copper, acrylic, brass, silver, paper pulp, silk ribbon, tie.
43 x 15 x 50 cm.
Detailed view.

Lisa Juen.
Brooch: Dating Medal, 2010.
Stainless Steel, LED Screens, Light-Switch, Battery-Box, Cables, Pencil, Paper.
10.5 x 13.5 x 5.5 cm.
Modern society does not make it easy to meet one’s ‘better half’. The Internet, Hollywood and the fast pace of a steadily growing throw-away-culture heightens the bars of expectation when it comes to choosing the right partner.
How can one meet this person without having to bend over backwards?
Dating in the mentioned conditions can be really hard work, especially for girls. The ‘Dating Medal’ is to be a helping device for women dating but is also act as a dating award.
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Kepa Karmona.
Medal: Gestalt: Unraveling PC, 2012.
Circuit, watch machinery, rotor, copper sheet, steel wire, optical screws.
11 x 5,7 cm.
Piece belonging to the Gestalt collection. Collection based on the Gestalt psychology that alludes to the ways to perceive the form of what we see. Our brain decodes the information we receive through various associations produced in the moment of the perception. Perception laws show that brain makes the best organization of the perceived elements and explains how is made this organization.
The Gestalt approach "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts" synthesizes that we perceive the whole, then each separate part loses the in context value by the moment it is moved away. Everything exists and acquires a meaning within a specific context.
We connect the shapes around us through our previous experience with the world. We can see recognizable shapes in the clouds, in the stains, in my box of toys, within my gutted computer, in everything related to random. This medal is the sum of isolated parts that being perceived together give us the shape of "Medal".

Photo courtesy of the author .

Kerstin Östberg.
Medal: Medal of Honour in Search of Lost Courage, 2012.
Silver, wood silk rope..
15 x 6 cm.
A medal, for rare values in a changeable time. We put our names on things to remember and be remembered. Small pieces of material to be seen in the eyes of others. We long to feel it in our hands.
Many things in life are measurable. I would like to recognize and honour those who fight for the nearly impossible and dare to live their lives with their questions preserved in memory for a change. Those who explore the immeasurable.
To inspire and give us hope..

Mauricio Lavayén.
Medal: Capitalismus, 2012.
Silver 925, MYDURR (materials and urban waste recycled and reused), Methacrylate, printing paper.
16 x 8 x 4,5 cm.
I decoRate Selfishness.
I decoRate the Power; … Systems.
I decoRate Impunity.

I decoRate Large Multinational Companies.
I decoRate Banks and their Managers.
I decoRate Political Class, … with no Vocation.

I decoRate Fundamentalisms.
I decoRate Religions.
I decoRate Present Society.

I decoRate Hypocrisy.
I decoRate Nonsense.
I decoRate Eternity;

…Gently deco Rated .

Jorge Manilla.
Medal: Los Olvidados, 2012.
Leather, wood, silver.
9 x 12 X 7 cm.
Jorge Manilla’s work challenges us to confront the deepest feelings and fears we usually avoid. It consists a huge production with wild mixtures of touching stories and twisted relationships. The language is special in which experimental solutions are framed by love and religious upbringing.
What we see is the dark side of passion, the hollow interior of a body, torn apart by emotions. The work is dark, twisted and broken forms of cut leather, which is reminiscent of hopeless knots in ones stomach, burning sores or open wounds. The series is a collection of very unusual and unique jewellery pieces with moral and physical anatomy of the human soul. It is a reminder that human strength in the end overcome the sad and wounding moments. It is a reminder that the horrifying, in fact, is insanely beautiful, and sounds of vulnerability are just signs of heroic strength.

Photography: Jorge Manilla.

Elvira H. Mateu.
Brooch: Condecoración al Ciudadano Hipotecado Medio, 2012.
Pine wood strips for modelling, brass, textiles.
6.5 x 13.5 x 1.4 cm.
Condecoración al Ciudadano Hipotecado Medio, 2012.

The decoration for the average citizen with a mortgage is awarded to civilians holding mortgage lending over their main residence. The prize aims to reward excellence in the fulfilment of mortgage duties.
Taking the type of pin used for military medals as a reference, 24 little niches form rows of four. Shiny number 25 represents the goal.
25 years is the average length of mortgage lending in Spain.
25 years in which the citizen with a mortgage builds up his or her decoration amongst the frames before taking centre stage.

Frame. // 2. Wooden or slat structure, used to extend and fix a painted canvas or paper, in particular frames that, when facing the audience, are placed on both sides of the stage and form part of the theatre decoration.

To make the pin, I asked a few people close to me to bring a piece of fabric from their mortgaged properties: upholstery, linen, bedding… fabric they have lived with and which has given them the warmth of home. Each canvas niche represents a name, a story, a decoration, a year paid, a year at home.
A pin for adding up, dreaming of number 25.
The piece comes with samples of the fabrics used, each marked with a reference made up by the initials of the owner and the numbers corresponding to the start and end dates of the mortgage.
A small sample of citizens deserving of this award.
An honour to grant it.

Congratulations and good luck!

Photo by Adolfo López.

Sarah O’Hana.
Medal: Medal Convex 18, 2009.
Silver, acrylic, recovered lens, textile, brass.
50 x 9 cm.
I am increasingly curious of research going on in other disciplines and the way in which this information might be brought to new audiences. Adapting to extreme cultural differences such as daily language and research methodologies is much like migrating to another country. The meticulous rigour of scientific investigation, where new materials and processes are observed at nanometer level and beyond, offers valuable information for our art and design disciplines.
In these defining moments in human history it is imperative that the arts work alongside the sciences and technologists, not least because the materials arts methodology of lateral thought, creativity and personal investment can lead to alternative ways of resolving problems. Our main hurdle, however, is to secure the interest of science for these collaborations in the first place.
The medal Convex 18 is one of many dedications to the scientific culture. The medal is awarded to those who supported and guided my research through its most demanding phases and to whom the interest in extreme cross-disciplinary research is due. Whilst the convex lens invites the viewer into the world of magnification, the piece serves mainly as a reminder to the scientific community of the importance of the creativity shared during that time.

Photograph: Kalsang Shoba.

Carlos Pastor.
Medal: Form and Function, 2011.
Copper, silver, steel, wood (anonymous bench peg)..
12,3 x 5 x 2,4 cm.
This medal represents the work done by the jeweler hands, the ingenuity required by this profession and especially, a reflection about the relationship between the technique as collective knowledge versus creation as individual experience. A used bench peg is a universal format instrument and at the same time, a totally customized support by the daily work. It amazes me still that on a so simple and common object can make other objects always unique.
The bench peg was rescued from a jeweler’s bench that my girlfriend bought secondhand. I never met the previous owner. 

Photo: Carlos Pastor.

Marie Pendariès.
Brooch: Parachutes Dorés, 2012.
Golden copper.
9,5 x 4,5 cm.
Durante la crisis financiera de 1929 los directores de los bancos arruinados se suicidaban tirándose por las ventanas de sus sedes. Hoy en día, los ex-directores se tiran con un “paracaídas dorado” de varios millones de euros, aunque hayan dejado sin blanca a su empresa y sus empleados.
Me parecía que esta élite tenía que ser condecorada con una medalla al mérito, reflejo de su éxito como ventajistas sin vergüenza; una medalla dorada reluciente para poner en la solapa de sus trajes de lujo, aunque si rascas un poco la superficie de oro seguro que saldrá la mugre debajo.

Photography: Marie Pendariès.

Mariona Piris.
Necklace: The Forest Princes that Hibernates in the Woods, 2012.
Olive wood, silver, clockwork.
58 x 158 x 16 cm.
-You, that hibernates in the woods, wake up! ¿Don’t you see that if you sleep spring will ignore you?
The princess smiled…
-With my eyes closed I can dream whatever I want; I dream of blossoming cherries on the riversides, tall, imposing, sweet, letting their flowers fall and caress my hands and my eyelashes. I dream of chestnuts sprouting and changing the colors and the smells of the velvet mountains. The stems pick up the leaves as if they where windows, they then show all their splendor, the sensuality of delicate, translucent, attractive colors. They are, in fact, irresistible for the bees, who love them with the music of a nap.
¡How delighted I feel dreaming on the spring!

-But, princess of the mountains…you’re still sleeping, you’re still hibernating…
Her eyes dropped three tears: sadness, craving, and longing for the unknown. They fell on the ground, under her cheek. These three tears awoke a little seed, her porcelain roots nourished out of the feelings of the forest’ princess. And so grew a plant. It’s leaves tickled, caressed and gently woke her up…spring was finally able to arrive.
This short story, this piece, are witness of my talent in self-deluding, I have been able to dream of happiness and feel happy without really being so.
With this medal, I award truthfulness.
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Ramon Puig Cuyàs.
Object: nº 1441, 2012.
Various materials on paper and cardboard.
25 x 21 cm.
Photography: Ramon Puig Cuyàs
Price: Private collection.
(Con)-decoració (in)-decorosa

con – Decor(o): (Decorum est) apropiadament i amb dignitat, honorable-ment i dignament. Salut, des-curat!. Decoratiu, con- Decor(at): bell, magnífic, i elegantment adornat, (in)decoris indigne i sense ornamentació decorativa i des-honrrosa. Des-composició.
Funció (in)servible, projecte-(til) de projectar-se. (Proiectus) Confeccionar i conferí (com)positura in-decorativa. Com-posar. In-formal? (con)forma o
de-(constructum)?.

Con-junt expandit i separat de (varietates possibile ab infinitum), o no?. In-digne?.
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Tabea Reulecke.
Brooch: Captain Wood, 2012.
Silver, Pink Ivory, Padouk, Zebrano, Perückenbusch, Ebony, Amaranth, Veilchenholz, Büffelhorn, Perlholz.
12 x 3,5 x 2,5 cm.
My journeys to the north, the south, the east and the west are my inspirations. There I find exciting stories and odd materials, which I take back to my workshop, and that is were the known and the unknown meet: A cow horn and that of an antelope. Wood of a walnut tree and wood of an olive tree. Colors from pigments and colors from glass stones. I build the bridges that connect my findings.
A story provides my aim and the outcome of the final form is determined through the process of making. In a workshop, amid horns and bones, pieces of wood, stones, metals, colors, paint brushes, found objects and gifts, I set to work; trusting my imagination, my tools and the freedom around me.

Photography: Manuel Ocana Mascaró.

Tabea Reulecke.
Brooch: Schnitt für Schritt #2, 2012.
Silver, Pink Ivory, Padouk, Amaranth, Zebrano, Nuss, Bocote, Pflaume, Veilchenholz, Olive, Ebony.
9 x 2,8 x 3,5 cm.
Photography: Manuel Ocana Mascaró.

Gisbert Stach.
Brooch: Superhero, 2012.
Sparklers, silver pin.
18 x 14 x 1.5 cm.
A token of honour for all sensitive and vulnerable superheroes of our times
Photographer: Rose Stach.

Sungho Cho.
Piece: Vibration of Wisdom II, 2012.
Silver.
6.5 X 4.5 cm.
I would like to make a medal to honour all wisdom how to live a better life. I have made special texture in own unique way and it represents the wisdom of life extends without cease in all directions. Through my medal, I am offering words of truth to everyone alive today. This medal then becomes a monumnet for human beings.

Photographer: Mirei Takeuchi.

Mirei Takeuchi.
Neckpiece: Schatten des Ordens, 2012.
Plastic, Acrylic color.
46 x 22 x 0,1 cm.
In the shadow of medals,
Always hidden are histories and secrets.
Through the hidden background,
The medals arise further interest and fascinate us. 

Photography by the artist.

Edu Tarín.
Brooch: Marble Cross, 2012.
Kaolin, Silver, steel.
9,2 x 6 x 2 cm.
Our mind is able to draw what is beyond to our understanding. We read our surroundings following guidelines that have been imposed during our development.
To think about what we are surrounded by, gives us the opportunity to create different judgments and ideas. Only then we will realize that not everything is always what it looks like.
The perception of concrete symbols invites us to create links that are connected with our memory and understanding, but to reflect about it, reveals secrets behind the false pillars that hold the truth.

Edu Tarín. Idar-Oberstein. 2012
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Edu Tarín.
Brooch: Marble Cross, 2012.
Kaolin, Silver, steel.
9,2 x 6 x 2 cm.
Our mind is able to draw what is beyond to our understanding. We read our surroundings following guidelines that have been imposed during our development.
To think about what we are surrounded by, gives us the opportunity to create different judgments and ideas. Only then we will realize that not everything is always what it looks like.
The perception of concrete symbols invites us to create links that are connected with our memory and understanding, but to reflect about it, reveals secrets behind the false pillars that hold the truth.

Edu Tarín. Idar-Oberstein. 2012
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Silvia Walz.
Medal: Bonne Maman, 2012.
Copper, silver, enamel, resine.
12 x 4,5 x 0,8 cm.
"Bonne Maman" is a con-decoration for all grandmothers, who are both mothers and daughters. A medal for fighting in the front of the everyday and the great value of resisting the enemy "day to day" with a sweet composure.

Silvia Walz. 2012.