fragile, but safe – Jewellery & Art Exhibition
About this Event
fragile, but safe brings together new works by Maria Stella Lydaki, Michaela Barochová, and Karolina Brodnicka for their annual art & jewellery exhibition as Tower Collective in the historic St Mary's Church Tower in Hornsey.
Spanning contemporary jewellery and sculpture, the exhibition explores what it means to be both fragile and safe through delicate forms that become vessels where exposure and protection coexist.
In a world that often equates strength with hardness, fragile, but safe proposes that resilience begins with embracing vulnerability, and that true strength is found in strong foundations rather than fortified walls.
Approaching these ideas from distinct perspectives, Karolina Brodnicka explores faith, surrender, and trust in God's guidance through experimental electroforming and casts from fragile organic matter. Michaela Barochová created a kinetic air installation of nine delicate objects, inspired by the Fruits of the Spirit, using silversmithing and goldsmithing techniques, which become expressions of safety and strength. Maria Stella Lydaki draws on the transformation of the rose to explore fragility, resilience, and a longing to return to innocence through a modular ceramic collection.
fragile, but safe
4 – 6 September 2026
Press Preview: Thursday 3 September, 17:00 - 18:00 (RSVP required)
Private View: Thursday 3 September 2026, 18:00 – 21:00 (by invitation only)
Public opening: 4 - 6 September 2026 (booking on Eventbrite required)
Friday - Saturday, 12:00 - 18:00
Sunday, 12:00-16:00
Location: St Mary's Church Tower, High Street, London N8 7NT
The artists will be present throughout the exhibition to speak with visitors and share the narratives behind their work.
If you have any enquiries, please email us at [email protected]
Artist Bios
Maria Stella Lydaki is a multidisciplinary artist with a BA from the Gerrit Rietveld Academie – Jewellery Linking Bodies department, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in 2022. Her research weaves through cultural and ecological preservation, the anima mundi – world soul, and the symbolic power of fairytales.
www.mariastellalydaki.com
Instagram: @maria.stella.lydaki & @mariastella.jewellery
Michaela Barochová is an artist jeweller and a silversmith with a BA in Metalworking and Jewellery from the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art in Pilsen, the Czech Republic, in 2018. Her work is rooted in goldsmithing and silversmithing, alongside textiles, wood, and printmaking techniques.
www.michaelabarochova.com, www.ateliernuminous.com
Instagram: @michaela.barochova, @numinous.jewellery
Karolina Brodnicka is an artist jeweller who graduated with a BA in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins in London, UK, in 2015 and has since developed a practice spanning both art and jewellery. Her work explores faith, repair, and renewal through narrative jewellery, experimental electroforming and casting.
www.karolinabrodnicka.com
Instagram: @karolina_brodnicka_
About the Venue
The 500-year-old St. Mary’s Church Tower is a symbol of Hornsey's enduring history, tucked away from the High Street in the quiet Garden of Remembrance. While the main church building was demolished in 1927 and many of its ancient monuments disappeared without a trace, the iconic bell tower was preserved and stands as a sacred fragment in the heart of London’s oldest recorded village.
Tower Collective
Established in 2024, Tower Collective is an artist-led initiative of three London-based artists – Karolina Brodnicka, Michaela Barochová, and Maria Stella Lydaki – working at the intersection of jewellery, art, and performance. They create immersive exhibitions in unique historic spaces, where their work enters into dialogue with the architecture and its layered histories. Inspired by the character of each building, they cultivate peaceful environments that encourage visitors to pause and reflect.
fragile, but safe marks the collective's third London exhibition, building on When the dust had settled at St. Augustine’s Tower, Hackney (2024), and for the seeds to bloom at St. Anne’s Church, Limehouse (2025). Videos from the previous exhibition can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/@TowerCollective
DIRECTIONS
Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/ueysayJ1bHkbQEsn9
National Rail / Great Northern: St. Mary's Tower is a short 5 to 10-minute walk from Hornsey railway station.
Underground: The closest underground station is Turnpike Lane, which is on the Piccadilly Line. From Turnpike Lane Bus Station, you can take Bus 41 or 144 heading towards Hornsey. Alight at Hornsey High Street / St Mary's Church. The journey from the station takes approximately 10 minutes.
Bus: Convenient bus routes that stop nearby include: 41, 144, W3, W5, N41, & N91.
#historicallandmark #culturalheritage #hornseyhistory #stmarystower #northlondonheritage #artexhibition #jewelleryexhibition
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
GBP 0.00
