"I like questioning the boundaries of what jewelry is or can be in my work. I often come back to exploring the impact of context on a piece. Because one of the defining traits of jewelry is its relationship with the body I find it interesting to remove it from the body completely, or to reference the body directly in shapes or materials."
Emily Lewis was born in Newfoundland and grew up in Nova Scotia. She studied jewellery design and metalsmithing at NSCAD university in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
After completing her studies in 2008 she moved to Quebec City. In 2011 she co-founded Studio METHOD(E) and in 2014 took over as sole proprietor. In 2018 she moved her studio to 975 3e ave, and renovated the front space to accommodate a gallery. She opened Galerie Lewis in December of 2018.
As well as Galerie Lewis and Studio METHOD(E), Emily also creates one of a kind pieces under her own name. In her own jewellery work she is interested by the impact of jewellery and craft historically. She works with motifs from Berlin Iron Work jewellery, William Morris wallpapers and textiles and Victorian jewellery. The political and cultural importance of craft and jewellery work in these eras feels particularly pertinent today. She uses simplification and repetition to create her pieces, graphic lines and bold colours are used in non-noble materials to create production pieces as well as one of a kind works.
She explores the sentiment of the jewellery object and its emotional weight. The body adorned and the body as adornment are recurring themes.
Interview Between Emily Lewis and Metalaid's Pasha Moezzi