“Rivers Downfall” is the second iteration of an evolving international collaboration between jewellery artists Dariusz Wojdyga (Norway) and Caroline Bach (France). The first edition of this project debuted in 2023 at A-Galeria in Tallinn, Estonia, presenting a modest yet deeply evocative preview of what has now developed into a full-scale exhibition. This iteration dives further into a shared commitment: to raise ecological awareness and engage audiences with urgent conversations about freshwater ecosystems, using the language of contemporary jewellery art.
This collaborative project is rooted in a convergence of friendship, shared concerns, and aligned artistic values. Caroline and Dariusz met while studying at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in the Netherlands, after completing formal training in their respective home countries—Caroline at ESA Duperré in Paris and Dariusz at Oslo National Academy of the Arts. As emerging artists, they are part of a new wave of creators responding directly to the environmental crisis, exploring how art can act not only as an expression of concern but also as a catalyst for change.
In “River Downfall,” Dariusz and Caroline use the craft of jewellery—often intimate, symbolic, and materially sensitive—as a vessel for environmental storytelling. The exhibition focuses on rivers as carriers of both life and loss, narrating how these vital freshwater systems are shaped, damaged, and transformed by human activity. The artists investigate the materiality of pollution, the consequences of negligence, and the ecological scars left behind. Through their work, they attempt to restore visibility to what has too long been hidden beneath the surface.
The exhibition concentrates on three rivers, each bearing witness to a specific ecological disaster:
- Akerselva, in Oslo, Norway, where Dariusz lives and works;
- La Dore, in central France, where Caroline grew up;
- The Rijn (Rhine), flowing through the Netherlands, where Caroline now resides;
These rivers have suffered through toxic chemical spills, hormonal disruptions caused by pharmaceutical waste, and industrial poisoning. Each represents not just a geographical reference but a case study of environmental degradation. Dariusz and Caroline treat these rivers not as abstract symbols, but as living systems with histories, personalities, and vulnerabilities.
Caroline’s series “Wild Water” has evolved since 2017, with each piece advocating for a distinct aquatic ecosystem. For “Rivers Downfall,” she deepens her exploration by focusing on La Dore and the Rijn. La Dore suffered a silent catastrophe when pharmaceutical pollution caused irreversible hormonal changes in fish, rendering entire populations infertile and effectively extinct. In the Rijn, a chemical factory accident in the 1970s marked one of Western Europe’s first widely acknowledged ecological disasters, leaving a permanent stain on the collective environmental consciousness. Caroline crafts intricate, multifaceted pieces that trace the pathways of these rivers, using materials and colour gradients to reflect the progressive loss of purity at each point of pollution. Her works are both topographic and narrative—each bend of silver or shard of coloured glass reveals another chapter in the river's decline.
Dariusz’s contribution centers around Akerselva, a river no longer than 10 kilometres that threads through the heart of Oslo. Despite its size, Akerselva has played a vital role in the city's development—ecologically and culturally. In 2011, a chlorine spill devastated the river’s aquatic
life. Although salmon returned by 2015, remnants of urban neglect—shopping carts, plastic waste, rusting metal—still populate the riverbanks. Dariusz collects these discarded fragments and transforms them into jewellery pieces. By embedding pollution into objects of beauty, he subverts the expectations of ornamentation and forces the viewer to confront the realities of environmental disregard. His practice avoids external energy usage wherever possible, aligning his artistic methodology with his ecological convictions.
Both artists place sustainable practice at the core of their work. Caroline draws on her background in ecosystem activism—passed down from her family—to guide material choices and design strategies. Dariusz limits his reliance on material choice and sourcing, demonstrating how artistic innovation can coexist with environmental responsibility. Together, they embrace a process that is at once critical, poetic, and deeply personal.
Rivers, as the artists observe, are more than natural features or utilitarian water sources. They are living archives, shaped over millennia, carved through rock and soil, winding their way from mountaintops to oceans. They collect our history—our industry, our waste, our carelessness—and reflect it back at us. But rivers also offer hope. They regenerate when given the chance. Life returns if pollution recedes. In this spirit, “River Downfall” is not just an indictment but an invitation—to listen, to care, and to act.
With jewellery as the medium, this exhibition challenges conventional ideas about scale, value, and visibility. Jewellery objects become messengers of vast ecological narratives. Through the poetic power of crafted materials, Wojdyga and Bach make the unseen visible and the forgotten unforgettable. “Rivers Downfall” is a call to remember our rivers—not just as waterways, but as lifelines—and to rethink how much we depend on them.
Also check out other Arts events in Lappeenranta, Exhibitions in Lappeenranta, Workshops in Lappeenranta.
