This is the first of several posts we’ll be doing over the next few weeks to highlight some of the customizable product designs we’ve assembled at the A.R.T. | Module R popup shop, now running at 400 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, New York.
Jewelry is among the most intimate of wearable objects, often placed directly against the skin and in some cases actually piercing it. What better article, then, to endow with the properties of co-creativity than jewelry, the ornament of the self? Indeed, one of the principal attractions of co-creative, participatory design is that the interaction between user and object bonds the two in a more direct way than is the case with things acquired in a fully formed state. That’s only natural where there develops a feeling of co-ownership, a sense that the user played some part in the conception of the object. With its small scale and simplicity of function, jewelry would seem to particularly well suited to formal manipulation by the non-expert. (Not to mention the fact that reconfigurable design gives the user a lot more bang for the buck as well as flexibility when it comes to accessorizing different outfits.)
Brandon Perhacs: Stix+Stones
Designed by Brandon Perhacs, Stix+Stones is a line of jewelry that gives the wearer the ability to create a diverse array of sculptural compositions using the two fundamental geometries of sphere and rod. The innovative design potential of Stix+Stones is hidden inside the hand-brushed stainless steel rods, or “stix”, which contain invisible magnetic stops positioned at precise intervals along their length. The magnetized design allows the user to play freely with the components, while at the same time ensuring that the parts array themselves in an elegantly symmetrical manner.
The full necklace cord comes with six brushed stainless steel stix of assorted lengths, and six magnetic spheres of silver and black nickel. The length of the cord is 16″ long. Custom lengths are available upon request for an additional charge.
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Hila Rawet Karni: Industrial Jewelry
Hila Rawet Karni is a jewelry designer whose works have been featured throughout the world, from Tokyo and Design Basel in Miami to Tel Aviv, Milan, and London. Combining her background in industrial design, her knowledge of origami, and her impeccable fashion sense, Hila incorporates unusual materials to create unique, wearable pieces. Her Kishut collection is notable in utilizing a single module rendered in an industrial material, in different colors and with assorted connection hardware to form an unlimited number of necklace, earring and brooch designs.
Naturally, we find the idea of conjoining the somewhat oxymoronic terms “industrial” and “jewelry” very appealing, since it aligns with our own ideas about “industrialized art.”
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A Question for Hila via Webutantes:
Q: You are an industrial designer by trade. What prompted the interest in jewelry?
Hila: “In my work, I use silicon, paper, grommets, and stainless steel. As an industrial designer, I am fascinated by the idea of taking raw materials that are not usually used for jewelry and transforming them into wearable objects. I want to create jewelry that is beautiful and luxurious and is not made out of gold and silver.
A lot of my inspiration comes from my family and my childhood. My father is an industrial designer and my grandfather was a jeweler and woodworker. I have vivid memories of looking through albums of my grandfather’s works, and going through his origami books, trying to create the designs myself. Those experiences stuck with me, and influence my work.”
Hila’s pieces were featured in the recent exhibition “Technocraft,” curated by Yves Behar and held at the Yerba Buena Arts Center in San Francisco.
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OHptions Modular Earrings by Ciclus
Ciclus is a design studio in Barcelona, Spain whose philosophy is grounded in the principles of sustainability, namely, to “reduce, reuse, and recycle.” Their fashion portfolio includes a design for modular earrings called OHptions (not sure where the unique spelling is coming from, but we get it). The components are made from recycled paper and silver. With a detachable circular disk ornaments and removable chains, the earrings can be configured in a variety of arrangements and graphic patterns. The interchangeability of the disks, of course, solves the age-old problem of color coordinating one’s apparel: rather than having to set aside a piece because it does not “go” with the current color scheme, one need only change the details of the piece, and then go.
