In addition to images of the 3D printed versions of my fragile jewelry, I also have some softimage renderings of the rings as well. The idea is to play with material and meaning. If the rings were made of gold and silver, what would the message be about icebergs as precious and rare? If they were bronzed, what would that say about preserving something in time? If they were glass and really did break when you wore them, what would that mean? And if they were made out of a totally unexpected material, such as pink plastic, what would that say about souvenirs, commodifaction and exploiting the beauty of nature?
There are so many options already, and I’ve really only just begun!
Tags: accessories, design, fragile, iceberg, jewelry, material, meaning, wearable
Posted on Thursday, April 2nd, 2009 in dana's portfolio work, design, wearables | 1 Comment »
I finally have images of my iceberg rings to show everyone! By now everyone must know of my fascination with icebergs, and if you don’t know already you will eventually realize I adore jewelry… so I combined my two favourite things!
I designed the five rings that fit together to form a miniature iceberg landscape in a three dimensional rendering program, and then had the rings 3D printed. The next step is to cast them, make molds, and experiement with materials. Icebergs are fragile and disappearing, so I was thinking of using a fragile material like porcelain. Or maybe, since one day they might be compeletly gone, perhaps I should immortalize them in something like gold or silver. The idea of bronzing something to freeze it in time, and remember it forever (like a baby’s shoes I guess) also seems interesting. I’ll let you know how they turn out!
Tags: accessories, climate change, design, fashion, fragile, iceberg, jewelry, material, rings
Posted on Wednesday, March 18th, 2009 in dana's portfolio work, design, wearables | 3 Comments »
My first love in this life has always been jewelry. That love affair couple with my new-found interest in wearable technology has led me to find some very exciting examples of jewelry that incorporate elements of technology. Kyeok Kim’s Aurora project uses patterns of light projected from pieces of jewelry onto the body as ornamentation. ‘Aurora’ highlights the relationship between different pieces of jewelry, by its nature the pieces interact with the another.
To operate the decorative light, one must gently move the ring (containing a magnet) towards the main jewelry piece. This project is interesting to me because it expands on what the idea of jewelry is as ornamentation, making it more than just a piece of something that you decorate your ear, neck or wrist with.
Tags: accessories, jewelry, light, ornament, pattern, projection, skin, surface, technology, wearable
Posted on Wednesday, March 18th, 2009 in design, wearables | 2 Comments »
I thought the most logical place to begin a blog about wearable technology might be to talk about the first work that I encountered that piqued my interest in the field (if it can be called a field yet). It is the work of Elena Corchero. She incorporates solar cells, resistors and LED lights into jewelry and accesories, which charge throughout the day, and come alive at night. The electronic components are integrated directly into antique and hand-embellished fabrics and wired together into working circuits using conductive thread. The Solar Vintage project has an aesthetic that appeals to women who appreciate beautiful fashion, and the self-powered pieces appeal to those with an environmental conscience.
I was so taken with Elena Corchero’s work at first because of my love for jewelry. The first piece I ever saw was a solar powered necklace that charged by day and was illuminated at night. I love the idea of dynamic jewelry that changes throughout the day as the wearer moves from one environment to the next. Additionally, I appreciate the environmental considerations of this project. There is a great deal of work out there using solar cells and LEDs, but the Solar Vintage project integrates fashion and technology in a way that many other products do not.
Visit Elena Corchero’s site: http://www.lostvalues.com/projects/solar/
Tags: accessories, jewelry, LEDs, solar cell, technology, vintage, wearable
Posted on Tuesday, January 13th, 2009 in wearables | No Comments »
