Shenkar College of Engineering, Art & Design: Jewellery graduates 2012

ARTS THREAD takes a look at the some of the graduates from the always-directional jewellery course at Shenkar College of Engineering, Art & Design.

Precious Little by Mulika Nir takes its inspiration from the world of the circus. The series ‘incorporates “found objects” with classical fabrication and laser cutting techniques and the result is a group of flexible, 3-dimensional bodies, of paper and metal which have been hand-made. The joining together of these different elements raise a smile in the eyes of the beholder and combine harmoniously to form a whole, almost as if they were born that way.’

Natalie Shabtai‘s Counterpoint references the process of decay in nature. ‘The objects were made using classic fabrication methods and basic geometrical shapes which were then adapted by erosion, corrosion and creating defects in the metal, which represent the processes of time. The project is the combination of these two design elements, the metal and the concept of the counterpoint in music.’

Inbal Oknin‘s project is called Spacing and took root from the study of the body movements of dancers, acrobats and gymnasts. ‘In dance as in jewellery, the relationship between space and the object as well as the relationship of the object to itself is of high importance, as the designing of this shape is an important part of the work process. By replicating particular shapes, I created a strong base for the jewellery. I considered the movement which was formed by the lines, and the freezing of the movement by means of a metal framework.’

My Sphere by Hagai Gefen is unashamed luxury evening jewellery. Inspired by natural forms, ‘the pieces have been designed and produced using 3-dimensional printing technologies in combination with classic fabrication techniques. Each piece moves by means of semi-precious stones which have been set using innovative methods created by the designer.’

Taking shapes from the body as inspiration, Hila Kaminer’s OSSO-MATERIA, looks at ‘the transition from flat sheets to 3-dimensional objects. The jewellery can be seen as free-standing objects, which when worn create a new aesthetic relationship between them and the body, whose internal shapes they mimic. The collection is a combination of artistic and wearable unisex jewellery.’

MITZRAFIM by Liat Atia-Gilad looks at ‘the space between a garment and a piece of jewellery and studies the relationship of jewellery to the body. I searched for the appropriate way of joining a rigid structure with softer materials such as wood and leather. Just as the skin protects the living body, the leather in these pieces acts as a coating. The collection was hand-made using classic fabrication techniques.’

Finally, Zohar Amir-Verblovski’s The Only Woman In The Room is a series of elegant pieces referencing the famous fashion editor Diana Vreeland. For this, Zohar developed a technique which combined thin metal surfaces which have been raised, with sheets of hand textured leather.

View Shenkar College of Engineering, Art & Design Jewellery Design BDes course on ARTS THREAD here.