"The curatorship work started from the fact that I, in my profession, deal in industrial design and therefore, an area that often works on the technological side of design and, in my line of research, I usually investigate into the borderline spaces between the design and technology worlds. when I turned my gaze towards the jewellery world, my very first thought was to understand what could be the future of these things that historically are considered as embellishments, or jewels or simply jewellery. What immediately struck the eye is that this category is in constant change and is rapidly aiming at something different than its usual self."
"The curatorship work started from the fact that I, in my profession, deal in industrial design and therefore, an area that often works on the technological side of design and, in my line of research, I usually investigate into the borderline spaces between the design and technology worlds. when I turned my gaze towards the jewellery world, my very first thought was to understand what could be the future of these things that historically are considered as embellishments, or jewels or simply jewellery. What immediately struck the eye is that this category is in constant change and is rapidly aiming at something different than its usual self."
What will jewellery be like in the future? Odoardo Fioravanti’s selection will try to answer this question, presenting visions and panoramas of the future, by looking at materials and innovative technologies, items with new content, new interaction with the body, and new contexts. This is a futuristic look at the new horizons, disciplinary mixes and contaminations with worlds that are usually a long way away from jewellery. A journey into the future, steeped in inspiration, brainwaves, and suggestions.
Maschera, Clown
Akiko Shinzato
Mask, Clown, London, April 2015
vegetable-tanned leather, Swarovski crystals, acrylic paint, wet-forming, sanding, painting, stone setting
12.5 x 8 x 29 cm
Collection of the artist
It is a mask with a clown mouth. In extreme makeup, a person can conceal her facial features and change the look by putting on another identity. My idea is putting on makeup in a form of jewellery. The makeup perfectly applied with the Swarovski crystals fades out and reveals the skin underneath.
Gioielli per bocca, Hard Wear (Oral Rims)
Lauren Kalman
Mouth jewellery, Hard Wear (Oral Rims), 2006
gold-plated electroformed copper, plaster
10.16 x 10.16 x 10.16 cm
Collection of the artist
Over the course of human history, gold has been a symbol of wealth and power because it has signified purity, immortality, and permanence. In contrast, the body, specifically the female body, is represented as fragile, transient, and often abject. It is an object to be purified. Gold in the form of jewellery is worn on the body as an aesthetic extension of the desire for perfection.
In this work, gold, as the image of perfection, is juxtaposed with the reality of bodily corruption. When gold is presented in a perishable or unattractive forms, its perceived inherent qualities of permanence and beauty come into question. It is an investigation into the social construction surrounding the myth of beauty (symbolized by gold) and its ability to purify the imperfect body.
Bracciale, Crystalactite
Atelier Swarovski
by Maison Martin Margiela
Cuff, Crystalactite, Paris,
Spring/Summer 2014
resin, crystal fusion
8 x 7 cm
Collection of the artist
Swarovski has collaborated with Maison Martin Margiela to create an avant-garde seasonal collection for Spring/Summer 2014 which is characterized by a futuristic, asymmetric beauty. Inspired by the jewellery
pieces from the Autumn-Winter 2013 Haute Couture collection, each design combines Margiela’s clean and innovative style with the sparkling purity of crystal.
Doppio anello
Sun Kyoung Kim
Double ring, Pair, Illinois, USA, 2008
sterling silver, sheet forming, wire
construction, silver soldering
5.1 x 7.6 x 2.5 cm
Collection of the artist
Gioielli per testa-occhi
Studio X – Lara Rettondini
and Oscar Brito for OPOS
Head-eye jewellery, Chinese Look, 2005
surgical stainless steel
18 x 18 cm
Collection of the artist
Chinese Look is a critical observation on Westerners’ fear of a rising China. It is both a jewel designed to make round eyes look Asian as well as an orthotic instrument that allows looking at an hypothetical new world order.
Chinese Look is part of The New Italian Design traveling exhibition curated by A. Branzi and S. Annicchiarico for La Triennale di Milano.
Gioielli per le mani
Jennifer Crupi
Hand jewellery, Power Gesture,
New Jersey, USA, 2010
aluminum, vellum print, acrylic,
hand-fabricated and riveted
20.3 x 20.3 x 15.2 cm
Collection of the artist
Power Gesture addresses the way we communicate with each other visually, through body language. It requires the wearer to assume the authoritative ‘steepled fingers’ gesture—a position that exudes confidence and is often used by one who has the upper hand in a situation.
Bracciale, Aesthetic of Fears
Dorry Hsu
Bracelet, Aesthetic of Fears, London, 2013
clear resin, virtual sculpting tool by
Haptic Arm, 3D printing, color dye
8 x 7 x 4 cm
Collection of the artist
Maschera, Love Cage
Niccolò Umattino
Facepiece, Love Cage, Milan, 2016
brass, cotton
18 x 18 cm
Collection of the artist
A mask that draws inspiration from dental technology and links in with a concept of the voluntary modification of the body. Just as an accessory is able to transform us and the way in which other people perceive us.
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