September 27, 2009

I will be attending the A Better World by Design conference in Providence, RI this weekend. Here is a little text from the site to explain what it's all about.
"A Better World by Design brings a global community of innovators to Providence, Rhode Island, to reach across disciplines and unite under a common goal. Presenters share engaging stories, workshops teach creative skills, and discussions reframe perspectives. A Better World by Design is an immersive experience that deepens our understanding of the power of design, technology, and enterprise to reshape our communities and sustain our environment."

It's been a little more than a year since I have left school, so I am excited to visit Providence and RISD again. I feel like attending lectures is just what I need right now in gaining inspiration. Hopefully, I will be a bit enlightened and it will motivate me to create work again. Feeling estatic is something I haven't felt in a while and I miss that feeling!!

I am thinking about the jewelry department at RISD and how fortunate I was to be a part of the program. So I thought I would share some pictures of the jewelry studio space I used to have at school. What a gift I once had!

machines machines machines



Forging room, there is a great collection of anvils and hammers...






Enameling room, a place where I once spent way too much time in... But the great thing was that it would be never be cold in the winter because the kiln was on!


And I am so happy to have done casting. Never have I used such big flames. It is a process I would definitely want to experiment with again.


Can't wait for this week to come! I will be sure to take some pictures and share what I have learned later on.

September 26, 2009

All things
are too small
to hold me,
I am so vast

In the Infinite
I reach
for the Uncreated

I have
touched it,
it undoes me
wider than wide

Everything else
is too narrow

You know this well,
you who are also there

Hadewijch II, 13th Century

September 24, 2009

a chest full of treasures



(via Cafe Cartolina).

I am going to own this one day...

September 21, 2009

this makes me really happy

I bought Adorn: New Jewelry a while ago, but I was flipping through it again today. This time, I guess I was more attentive and discovered some jewelry I really liked by Loukia Helena Richards.





(via Craft Council).

Most definitely, I appreciate her patience in making the embroidery. I just love color and things that are delicate.

clusters





Looking at Kelvin Birk's work, some things came to mind.
The questions: what is a setting? and how are things set/assembled/grouped?
He reminds me of Karl Fritsch.
Kelvin makes a lot of rings!

September 18, 2009

Michelle Marcuse




Digital Transfer Prints to Wax
(via Michelle Marcuse).

These prints would make such nice brooches. I would wear them!

September 16, 2009

contemporary french jewelry

Exhibition at Velvet Da Vinci.
also known as jewelry
September 16 - October 25, 2009


Nathalie Perret, "Paliceder" Necklace


Sophie Hanagarth, "Serie B Ring"


Joanne Grimonprez, "Bemicks"


Carole Deltenre, "Nymph"


Babette Boucher, "Muttertag" Necklace


Claire Baloge, Necklace


I wish I were in San Francisco to see this exhibition!

September 15, 2009

Rita Grosse-Ruyken


I just discovered the sculptor and jeweler Rita Grosse-Ruyken in the New York Times. She has an exhibition in Frankfurt called the “Rays of Light.” What I found amazing is the way she treats metal.
" The artist gently beats a bowl into shape from a golden disc. The process, using hammers that gradually decrease in weight from 4 kilograms, or 9 pounds, to 75 grams, is guided by the slowly modulating music of the blows, like a glockenspiel, on the ever-finer metal skin. A large bowl takes up to three years to complete, in which time Ms. Grosse-Ruyken works 10-hour days in the converted Bavarian watermill that is her studio, standing for up to 45 minutes on one leg while using the other to support the wafer-thin material."

"To make her pieces, Ms. Grosse-Ruyken goes to extraordinary lengths of personal commitment and technological innovation. For her 1986 work, “The Silver Cord,” she cast, forged and hand-pulled refined silver into a diaphanous thread that she then wove into a quasi-transparent spatial structure, a 21-meter, or 69-foot cord that took eight months to complete. For “Rays of Light” — “Durchflutung,” in German — she developed a technique of embedding two wafer-thin concentric platinum rings invisibly into the initial gold disc, to provide a necessary reinforcement for the ever more fragile walls of the bowl."

I wish I could see this exhibition in person.
See the video of Rita Grosse-Ruyken delicately handling her pieces.

Indian Trade Block Quilt
(via Reference Library).

September 14, 2009

Édouard Vuillard


La Cuisinière (The Cook) from Paysages et intérieurs (Landscapes and Interiors)
Édouard Vuillard (French, 1868-1940)

(via MOMA).

Nelli Tanner


Nelli Tanner
Brooch: 'Paino IV' (Weight IV) 2009
Silver, birch, recycled plastic
21 x 12 x 5,5 cm

Nelli Tanner
Pendant: 'Paino III' (Weight III) 2009
Silver, aluminium, birch
15,5 x 13,5 x 0,6 cm

Nelli Tanner
Piece: 'Lumikokoelma' (Collection of snow) 2009
Silver, aluminium, brass, juniper, birch, recycled plastic, ink, lack
19 x 7 - 10 x 9 cm
Brooch / Objects
(via Klimt02).


I like these layering of materials. The idea of using different materials to convey a similar aesthetic makes work strong I think. These pieces make sense together, grouped as a collection.

Sergey Jivetin



(via MAD).

I saw Sergey's work at SOFA NY this year. It was so nice to see and touch his work in person. This brooch is the accumulation of watch hands. I love how he transforms the material.

September 13, 2009




(via StudioMaaikeRoozenburg)


i like these contrast of textures and colors.

collecting

Elizabet Eriksson







(via Paula Lindblom)

I like seeing the display of objects/ the gathering of objects.
It makes me think about how things can be organized. Grouping objects according to size, material, thingness, color, etc.
Organization makes things look more pleasing to the eye. It is orderly.

But having ecletic objects together can still work coherently. On my mind: chaos vs order.

September 12, 2009

marriage necklace


Marriage necklace (kalata uru), late 19th century
India (Tamil Nadu, Chettiar)
Gold strung on black thread

"This gold marriage necklace, known as a kalata uru (kala = neck, uru = bead), was tied around the neck of a Chettiar bride by her new husband during her wedding. It was sometimes reused during a celebration when the husband reached the age of sixty. The Chettiars are a Shaivite sect of merchants in Tamil Nadu, many of whom are rich bankers. The necklace is composed of twenty-one gold elements strung on black thread. The central pendant (thali) depicts Shiva with his consort Parvati riding on his bull vehicle Nandi, flanked by dancers. The elements with long projections are thought to represent the hands of the couple."

(via MMA)

September 11, 2009

jewelry: accessory

With New York Fashion Week on going, there is much press about the upcoming trends of the season. Models are walking down the runway, displaying their designer's newest collection. In conjunction with the outfit, sometimes jewelry is worn. So this made me curious as to what kinds of jewelry is being featured on the runway this season.
Monique Lhuillier


Rosa Cha


Eddie Borgo for Jen Kao



Vena Cava
(via NYMag.)


I began to question the designs of fashion jewelry and costume jewelry, so I searched for more jewelry that was previously featured on the catwalk.

Often times, these pieces can influence others to design within a similar aesthetic.

Marni Acrylic and ribbon necklace $505 @ Net-A-Porter, Gerard Yosca Crystal Ribbon Necklace $345 @ Max & Chloe, Lanvin Three Row Pearl Ribbon Necklace $1220 @ Barneys New York, Long Ribbon Necklace $28 @ GUESS, Diamante on Lace Necklace by Alessandro Dell'Acqua $800 @ Vivre, Gemstone Necklace $7 @ Forever 21


(via Coutorture.)

I couldn't help but to notice the size of the jewelry. Maybe it's because these pieces need to be spotted on the runway, but a lot of them seemed extravagant to me.
I also noticed the material value of the pieces. Even with some pieces, using nonprecious materials, the price marked did not seem so reasonable. It makes me think about how marketing and the designer label has a large part in creating the value of jewelry. (For those interested in celebrities who design jewelry, I've read that Padma Lakshmi, Paula Abdul, and Kelly Bensimon have their own collection.)

In viewing fashion jewelry, I've come to an understanding that jewelry can be worn to complete the outfit, to make a statement, and to accessorize the body. But more importantly, what I realize and I begin to appreciate more and more is how jewelry can make one feel so powerful. I bet some models feel so great wearing an oversized bangle or necklace while they strut down the runway.

Now, in my making and designing process, I hope to create jewelry that will empower the wearer.


Fashion week is still on going, there will be more jewelry to see. Comments welcome!