SHORT MOVIES ABOUT LOVE & OBJECTS invites artists, designers and crafters working in the field of applied arts, design or crafts to present the experiences, memories, thoughts that moved them to create a particular object by making a video on the real or fictive love story behind it.
‣ The videos will be screened during Munich's SCHMUCK Jewelry Week 2026 at Galerie Handwerk on Friday 6 March 2026, and will be available online on this website
‣ The videos will be promoted through the social media presented on SMCK Magazine's SMCK On Reel website from 15 March 2026 onwards.
‣ All videos will be nominated for the SMCK On Reel Video Award 2026.
The storytelling power of objects is indisputable, yet captions or statements cannot fully deploy its potential.
Objects encapsulate the precious moments we shared with our darlings, the promises made, the voices or memories that keep returning.
The dress or necklace we wore on our first date, the decoration of the room the first night we slept together, the gift our lover gave us as a promise of eternal adoration, the perfume bottle that became us the proof of our lover's disloyalty are crystallizations of our emotions, desires, hopes, foolishness, deception, heart aches, tears, maturity.
By revealing the story behind the objects we make, we can make contact with the art lover’s or customer’s yearning to find in our work, in the objects we make, the emotional situation that he/she cannot express in words. The medium video is the best way to make the audience understand hidden and charming facets of our work and life philosophy, and it boosts our creative profile like no other medium.
Participate in the SHORT MOVIES ABOUT LOVE & OBJECTS by sending your video, or your idea for a love story. All accepted videos will be nominated for the SMCK ON REEL Video Award 2026.
1. Fiction - A fictive narrative on love and objects.
2. Documentary - On the passionate urge of being a teacher, an activist, a gallerist, a medium explorer or craft pioneer etc or a short documentation on an applied art topic i.e. on a design school, on an artists’ meeting, symposium, manifesto or show of special importance, a technique or material etc.
3.Artist Portrait - a short presentation of one’s own work, studio and life.
Two prizes will be awarded for the two best love stories: a JURY AWARD and an AUDIENCE AWARD. All videos are nominated for the prizes. The name of the winners will be announced Saturday, 7 March 2026 following the SMCK ON REEL screening at Munich's SCHMUCK Munich Jewelry Week.
The award winners take part in a four-day intensive residency program in Athens, Greece. The residency includes a customized program of curated museum and site visits focusing on arts, crafts and jewelry, three nights accommodation in an individual studio in central Athens, a publication of the winners' experiences in Athens, plus an interview and presentation of their work in SMCK Magazine’s next issue and in the social media. The Athens residency takes place between June and December 2026.
• Saturnalia – video by Christoph Ziegler and Loukia Richards inspired by Titus Petronius’ Satyricon. (2020, 4.53 min) •
Submit your video, reel, or short film based on a personal narrative, story, or statement that reflects the theme of Love and revolves around an artwork or object you created.
Submission is free. Artists and designers whose videos are accepted pay a participation fee of 150,00 EUR.
Submitted videos must be no more than 5 years old and no longer than 3 minutes. They can be filmed using a smartphone or professional video equipment. The image format should be landscape/horizontal (16:9 or 4:3), and the video resolution HD or 1920x1080px. Files larger than 20MB must be sent via WeTransfer to the email address above.
HOW TO APPLY: Send your video or video link, and a short statement of max. 150 words describing your story / your work to magazine@smck.org.
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