Installation views of the Cartier exhibit at the National Gallery of Victoria.
Both say collaborating with Cartier felt like a natural affinity. Materials are, afterall, at the centre of their respective practices. So, too, a sense—shared with Cartier’s creations—of being timeless. “I aspire to make timeless work, absolutely. And I think that’s also very much related to the use of materials. Those jewels are timeless because of what they’re made of,” says Marcelis. Immersing themselves in the world of Cartier has been illuminating. “My biggest takeaway from the process has been that actually when you look into it and when you work on it and when you go through the exhibition… [it] feels contemporary. I think the beauty of [the Cartier jewels in the exhibition] is that we look at the past, we look at the DNA, what made Cartier, Cartier. But essentially, my hope in a way is that people will feel that and [see the show] as contemporary, very fresh,” says Cournet. “We would love if people look at our exhibition in 10, 20, 50 years and hopefully still feel contemporary at that time.”