Velo

WEARable

Statement jewelry it usually involves an object that draws people’s attention and enhances the quality of an outfit as a whole.

After attending the exhibition I began to think about jewelry as a WEARABLE object, in the sense of body as a whole rather than just a part of your body. Body jewelry has been around for quite a while, but the things that are being designed with the modern fabrication methods are out of this world.

Blurring rough lines between different artistic areas of  expertise during collaborations or explorations with designs is important to allow give room for the designers to look beyond the scope of their profession. Jewelry as fashion, fashion as jewelry, how large in scale does jewelry have to be to stop being considered jewelry? Maybe it is a larger accessory?

Minas Trend Preview Show by Minas Gerais, Mary Designs

 

Crystallization, Daniel Widrig

Lace and Pearls Collar by Stephanie Voegele

Miette Jewels

Fabric Manipulation

Heather Thompson

Jasmine Bowden Jewellery

Neckpiece by Richar Elaver

Project DNA Accessories by Catherine Wales

Liv Eqvist

 

Embodied Evolution

Embodied Evolution is a student design competition that investigates the fusion between fashion and human form. The contemporary design environment has been influenced simultaneously by the biology of human form and the synthetics of technological innovation. This competition calls for innovative ways for the body and clothing to interface as a single entity. Students will fabricate wearable armor, gear, or prosthetic prototypes that reconsider the body as part of, not separate from, the design environment in which we exist.

All SCAD student artists and designers are welcome to participate. Students may compete individually or in teams of up to three people. Interdisciplinary collaborations are encouraged. Entries may be fabricated by any means necessary, but must be wearable. 

 Embodied Evolution - Facebook

This competition was created by the LABnormal Student Group here at SCAD, and it is intended to be a yearly competition. I attended the exhibition, and the designs were so fascinating.

I was particularly captivated by the winners Henry J Cowdery and Samson Johnson with their project FACET.

You can check out more pictures of the exhibition at:

Embodied Evolution Competition | Flickr: Zelig Fok

Why Jewelry

I have enjoyed every little bit of research I have done for this project so far because I have simply loved jewelry all my life. Gearing away from the actual process of design, I kept thinking of how much something some people would consider so insignificant can play such an important part in someone's culture. So I thought, why do we wear jewelry? Wikipedia had a straight up answer.

Reasons we use jewelry:

• Functional, generally to fix clothing or hair in place, or to tell the time in the case of watches
• As a marker of social status and personal status, as with a wedding ring
• As a signifier of some form of affiliation, whether ethnic, religious or social.
• Protection (in the form of amulets)
• Artistic display

I was introduced to jewelry only days after I was born. The most simple piece: earrings. I do not remember not using earrings every since, and it definitely is a cultural thing. Was it intended to differentiate a baby girl from a baby boy? Maybe. But ever since then I do not feel comfortable without earrings. It sounds very simple, just because earrings can be so little, but then I began to research jewelry in different cultures. Throughout history we have seen some incredible pieces and it was fascinating to see a form of design is translated in so many different ways.

Ethiopian

Egyptian

Native American

 Geishas

Tribal

Pakistani

South East Asian :Burma

Acrylic Design

These are the pieces of acrylic I want to laser cut. Two pairs or geometric earrings and two necklace pieces inspired by the previous research. The material of the earrings and honeycomb necklace were originally wood, so I am excited to see how it would work in acrylic. Since the acrylic is such a rigid material, the honey comb piece was split into 3, and I want to attach it together with jewelry wire, and a thin chain. The earrings and the other necklace piece are even more complicated in the sense that they have sharper edges and more in contact with the skin. I want to experiment with melting the material after it is laser cut, and explore the materials response, and the shape's transformation, whether it is good or bad.

Laser Cutting

Laser cutting

Laser cutting is such a fun and interactive way of building models or designing objects. It requires a logical thought process, and you need to take measurements and material thickness very seriously if you are trying to put multiple pieces together. It can be very limiting on a 2D plane, but it can be easily assembled into a more complex form by stacking and intersecting multiple pieces of laser cut materials. Just like in the 3D printed object we were given some material to laser cut anything we want to. I had been curious about how creative people can get with laser cutting many years ago when I was first introduced to the machine, and particularly for jewelry it can be a simple or complex as you want it to be. However, the nature of such a flat material against the smooth curvatures of the body can be a little challenging. It's about using the right materials and the right techniques of assembly.


Leather

Acrylic

Wood

 Mirror