Sarah Emilie Müllertz on Inspiration Behind The Two Worlds Collection
In this conversation, founder and creative director Sarah Emilie Müllertz shares the thinking behind the Two Worlds Collection, from the theatrical universe of Oskar Schlemmer’s Triadic Ballet to the meeting of precious metal and Mpingo blackwood.
Rooted in the visual language of Bauhaus, Two Worlds explores contrast as a source of balance. Geometry meets movement, precious metal meets wood, and two materials with distinctly different qualities are brought together within a single form.
It is a collection about what happens when seemingly opposing worlds meet, not to become the same, but to create something new together.
A Symphony of Bauhaus
Q: Where did the idea for the Two Worlds Collection begin?
“With Two Worlds, the starting point was Oskar Schlemmer and his Triadic Ballet. I have always been fascinated by the way he worked between disciplines. It is ballet, but also architecture, sculpture, costume, colour and movement.
The figures are incredibly geometric, almost architectural, and yet they come alive through the body. Circles, spheres, cylinders and lines transform the human silhouette into something abstract and unexpected.
I found that tension very beautiful. There is a strictness to the geometry, but at the same time something playful and surreal. That became an important starting point for the collection.”
Translating Art into Jewellery
Q: How do you translate such a visually distinctive reference without reproducing it literally?
“What interests me is understanding the principles behind an existing form. With Schlemmer, it was the rhythm of the forms, the graphic quality of the lines and the way separate elements come together around the body.
The stripes became particularly important. In the jewellery, they are reduced into a sequence of metal and Mpingo, creating a very clear rhythm. The reference is there, but it becomes something else when translated into jewellery.
For me, inspiration should be a point of departure rather than an answer.”
The Meeting of Two Worlds
Q: The collection brings together precious metals and Mpingo blackwood. How did that material contrast become part of the idea?
“The name Two Worlds really describes that meeting.
Gold and silver have a certain precision and luminosity. Mpingo has an entirely different presence. It is deep, dark and warm, and even when it is cut with great precision, you still sense that it is a natural material.
Bringing them together creates a very strong contrast, but also a balance. Neither material disappears into the other. They remain distinct, and I think that is what makes the combination interesting.
There is something beautiful in allowing two very different materials to exist side by side and seeing how each one changes the way we experience the other.”
Geometry in Motion
Q: Movement plays an important role in the Triadic Ballet. Does the body become part of the design in Two Worlds as well?
“Absolutely. Jewellery is never static once it is worn.
That was one of the things that drew me to Schlemmer. His costumes are highly constructed and geometric, but their meaning changes completely when a person begins to move inside them.
Jewellery has a similar relationship with the body, only at a much more intimate scale. A polished surface catches the light differently with every movement. A geometric object suddenly becomes very personal.
I like that transformation. The design can begin with something precise and almost architectural, but the person wearing it gives it life.”
Contrast as a Form of Balance
At the heart of Two Worlds is a recurring idea in Sarah’s work: contrast does not have to create opposition. It can create harmony.
The collection brings together the graphic clarity associated with Bauhaus and the organic character of Mpingo blackwood. Precious metals reflect light while the dark wood absorbs it. Hard edges meet natural variation. Precision meets tactility.
Q: Is this balance between opposites something you consciously return to in your work?
“Yes, very much. I think contrast makes you more aware of each element.
If everything has the same surface, colour or character, the eye reads it as one thing. When you place something dark beside something reflective, or something organic beside something very precise, suddenly you see both more clearly.
For me, harmony does not necessarily mean similarity. It can also come from difference, as long as there is balance and intention.
That is really what Two Worlds is about. Two distinct expressions meeting within one object, each retaining its own character while becoming part of a larger whole.”
Two Worlds, One Form
The Two Worlds Collection moves between art, architecture and the body. Its reference to Oskar Schlemmer is expressed not through imitation, but through rhythm, geometry, contrast and movement.
Across rings, earrings and pendants, metal and Mpingo meet in graphic compositions that recall the striped forms and surreal silhouettes of the Triadic Ballet, while becoming distinctly KINRADEN in their restraint.
Q: What do you hope remains when the original inspiration is no longer immediately visible?
“I hope the pieces can stand entirely on their own.
You don’t need to know Oskar Schlemmer or the Triadic Ballet to respond to the jewellery. The reference is part of the story and part of the process, but ultimately the piece has to have its own integrity.
For me, Two Worlds is about the possibility of bringing differences together. Different materials, different histories, different qualities. They do not have to lose their individuality to belong together.
Perhaps that is what I find most compelling about the collection. The contrast is not something that needs to be resolved. It is what creates the whole.”
"With Two Worlds, I wanted to explore what can happen when contrasting materials and ideas are brought together. Inspired by the geometry and movement of Oskar Schlemmer’s Triadic Ballet, precious metal meets Mpingo blackwood in a dialogue of light and darkness, precision and nature. Two distinct worlds remain visible, yet together they create a new expression."
With Love,
Sarah Emilie Müllertz