Q&A: Max Danger
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Max Danger is a Danish born Jewellery Designer and craftsman, a self confessed gold obsessive, who has a reputation for innovative and striking pieces of bespoke jewellery. He answers the Benchpeg Q&A.
What’s your name, and what do you for a living?
MD: Max Danger, I'm a bespoke jeweller and part time Jewellery Technician at the London College of Fashion.
How did you come to work in the jewellery industry?
MD: I went on a half year jewellery course at technical college in Copenhagen. During my time there I realized that this was what I wanted to do.
Afterwards I applied for a four year apprenticeship at fine jeweller Jacob Enghave Gold in Copenhagen and was lucky enough to be taken in. I freelanced for one year after graduating and then applied for my MA at The Royal College of Art. Since then I have been making jewellery from my studio here in London.
How would you describe your work to someone who doesn’t know it?
MD: Narrative based, sculptural fine jewellery, taking inspiration from the animal kingdom and other relevant topics of society.
What is your creative process?
MD: Being an Illustrator before getting into jewellery, my work aims to translate my illustrations into three dimensional wearable objects.
I often sketch for days before making a final outcome in jewellery. The outcome is normally a culmination of all my sketches and not a copy of a particular selected drawing.
As the piece takes form it undergoes many alterations from my original idea.
Where do you love to shop?
MD: There is a little place in Nørrebro in Copenhagen called ”Sukkertoppen” or ” the sugar top”. Its the best place for pic´n´mix and I have spent much money and time in there. I like to shop for colours more than flavours.
What is your inspiration?
MD: Science, animals, comic books, folklore and music.
What piece of jewellery do you most treasure?
MD: I think that would be ”The Robot and the Unlucky Stone”. This piece reflects my personality the best and was originally made quite early in my career. Unfortunately the ring took a dive to the concrete floor and was left broken for a few years. Only recently did I have time to reassemble it and make a few alterations for the better. I guess the ring really was unlucky, only I am sure the spell has been broken now.
What piece of jewellery do you most desire?
MD: I have always treasured the Dragonfly by René Lalique and the whole collection of eggs by Carl Fabergé.
If you could only be remembered for one piece of your work, what would it be?
MD: My ”Honey Bee Cluster Ring”. This was an outcome of studying bees in a hive, and in my opinion a new way of presenting bees within jewellery. Less careful and more true to the nature of the bees. It was also the piece that put me on the map, so it would make sense to be remembered by it later as well.
What would be your advice to someone starting out in the industry?
MD: Find your path before starting. Workout if you want to go into production, contemporary, bespoke or fashion. All areas are very different and what you originally thought you would like to do, might not be the right thing when it comes to it.
Before launching, make absolutely sure you are prepared. If you make it with your work it is crucial that you can follow up on orders etc. Otherwise there is a big chance that people will forget about you again and you might only get one shot at an opportunity.
Believe in yourself and only take advice from people you respect or feel know what they are talking about. If you become interesting in the industry there will be a lot of people with great ideas for you and give you loads of advice based on personal opinion, which might not be as useful as they think it is. Even though they are trying to help you it can be counter-productive to take it in. If someone suggests to go into a collaboration with them it is worth having a polite but critical discussion before committing. There is a reason they are approaching you and not the other way around.
The Benchpeg Proust Q&A
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What’s your favourite work of art?
MD: I unfortunately don't have one. -
Who from past or present would you invite to a dinner party for the evening?
MD: I think it would be interesting to have dinner with a hybrid of Ghandi and Hunter S. Thompson. -
Do you have any pets, if yes, what is their name?
MD: I don't have one now, but I used to have a pet crayfish called Rico. -
What is your most treasured possession?
MD: My Technics 1210 record player. Unfortunately it is in storage in Denmark at the moment, but I can´t wait to plug it in again someday. -
What would you consider a perfect day?
MD: I like all days, rainy or sunny. But a perfect day would start late and consist of eating good food in good company. Preferably outdoors and not in the city. -
Is there a favourite journey, trip or voyage you hold dear?
MD: I have two favourite journeys.
First was in my early twenties traveling on a freight train from Denmark to Italy. We spent 26 hours in a coach sleeping on rescue boats destined for Toronto. We ended up jumping off the train in Verona and had a great time there and in Bologna for 8 days.
My second journey was to Myanmar [Burma] a few years ago. Many of the closed areas literally opened up on the day of our arrival and we went went up north by the Golden Triangle to visit various tribes. We also ventured into Cambodia and Thailand. Also, Myanmar is great for gemstones, so needles to say I came home broke, but with a lot of stones in my suitcase. -
What is your greatest achievement?
MD: Winning the Best New Design Award at last year's Goldsmiths' Fair was definitely one of the bigger achievements in my life.
Meeting the Queen of Denmark in combination with a big grant I was awarded was also a great experience. -
What advice would tell your younger self?
MD: Never slam the doors behind you! -
Can you sum yourself up in one word?
MD: Aurophile. -
What motto do you live by?
MD: Why is the sky the limit when we have landed on the moon?
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