Vacheron Constantin Met Artisan Residency: The Three New Works
– 1 min read
The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Vacheron Constantin have unveiled three original works created through their 18-month Artisan Residency, bringing together contemporary practice and traditional craft. Announced on 15 September 2026, the programme involved American woodworker Aspen Golann, Egyptian-American ceramicist Ibrahim Said and British-Italian jewellery artist Joy Harvey.
The Three Artisans
Golann created Vessel, a group of monumental hollow wooden forms between four and seven feet tall. The work combines coopering, carving and furniture ornamentation. She used bent lamination and steam bending to construct curved staves, then applied decorative motifs derived from 17th-century crewel embroidery and strapwork carving in The Met's collections.
Said's Shaping Time draws on ancient Egyptian and Islamic forms. The ceramic work consists of three semicircular sections arranged vertically, incorporating surface designs from both traditions. Its references to eternity and infinity connect different periods of Egyptian cultural history.
Harvey's Ruined Splendour – BRONZE DIADEM combines forged bronze, gold granules and gold pendants with guillochage, granulation, alloying and patination. The structure was deliberately distorted and pierced, turning traditional precision techniques into part of the work's exploration of decay and transformation.
The residency ran through three phases: research with The Met's collections and staff, study with Vacheron Constantin's artisans and the creation of the final works, with the Museum providing logistical and material support. The artisans also worked with Vacheron Constantin's Geneva craftspeople during the research phase.
For Vacheron Constantin, the project connects its own Métiers d'Art practices with disciplines outside watchmaking. For The Met, it extends the use of its collections as a source for contemporary making rather than treating historical techniques as fixed forms. Public workshops and community programmes around the residency will continue at The Met in the coming weeks.
