Mathilda Monteil’s work centres on stone carving and Japanese inlay techniques, exploring themes of memory, collection, and transformation, drawing inspiration from the objects, places, and experiences she carries with her over time. Through a material-led approach, she combines traditional craftsmanship with influences from graphics and illustration, creating pieces that invite close observation and reveal layered narratives. She is particularly interested in jewellery as a vessel for personal meaning – small, precious objects that can be carried, collected, and passed on, accumulating stories throughout their lifetime.
Current Obsession: Could you tell us the story behind your graduation project and what drew you to the subject?
Mathilda Monteil: Having moved around quite a bit, I started to think about jewellery as a ‘portable identity’, something that stays close to the body and carries a sense of what makes a person who they are through what they choose, and are able to keep. I was interested in intimate and significant objects that can quietly hold parts of a person’s experience as they move through the world.
Rather than focusing on one single reference, the project grew from the idea of an accumulation of items and beliefs; how forms, materials, and personal motifs, such as patterns on fabric that tell a story of caution, or how masks and demons are used as talismans of protection in certain cultures, all reappear and shift across a collection, creating subtle connections between the pieces. I was drawn to this sense of repetition and evolution, where each object feels related but slightly changed, like fragments of an ongoing narrative. As people, I believe we learn more about ourselves through what we find and what we take from it.
The collection was created using various techniques, such as stone carving, Japanese metal inlay, and lacquer, and equally diverse materials were used. I wanted people to ask themselves, ‘What is that?’ and ‘Where does it come from?’ These techniques and materials, which I was only able to experience through my travels, are things I want to share with others and see what connections they make.
CO: Beyond the gallery, where do you see your work taking root and finding its life? Who do you hope to reach with your work?
MM: I see my work in everyday life as well as in exhibition spaces. I want the pieces to feel close to people, something that can be worn, handled, and lived with.
I’m interested in connecting through those small, almost ordinary moments that end up feeling really significant. The kind of moments where you notice an object you carry every day, or something that quietly holds memory or meaning without needing to be explained. I hope my work can resonate with a wide range of people and different age groups through that sense of personal connection.
I also see the work continuing to evolve through different materials and techniques, and I want to keep pushing that exploration further while exhibiting in different countries. I’m interested in how the meaning of the work can shift depending on where it’s seen, and how different audiences might relate to it in different ways.
CO: What’s your favourite studio ritual?
MM: Deep clean! Before I start anything, I have to reset and organise everything very carefully, almost in a very meticulous way, because I know that once I begin working, the space will quickly turn into a battle zone.
There are usually uncapped scalpels, chemical pots, random metal bits, and stones everywhere, but somehow I still know exactly where everything is during the making process. It looks chaotic from the outside, but there’s a system that makes sense to me.
That initial clean feels like a ‘factory reset’. It helps me mentally switch into making mode and gives me a clear starting point.
