The topic for this project was jewellery. This led to me ask a basic question:
What is jewellery?
Decorative items worn to adorn oneself. A means of self-expression, and social inclusion. A show of status. Highlight and accentuate certain parts of the body. Flatter, distort? Create statements.
Inspiration for the project:
Dystopian world. Handmaid’s tale. Rigid structure. Geometric. Futuristic.
Needle felting is a process of felting woollen fibres, without the use of water or any soap. It requires a barbed needle that agitates the fibres into felting together.
Advantages of felting: Durable, Warm but lightweight, Doesn’t fray, Easy to cut and work with, Can be shaped, Different way of looking at fibres, Can change fusing, Coarse texture, 3D felting is possible.
Taking the geometric theme forward, I worked with the four colours of felting wool I had procured to create compositions digitally.
I then took these compositions forward and envisioned them on the human body, keeping scale in mind.
Of the eight designs, I have selected six designs to execute and make.
The material used for the collection is felting wool, woollen yarn, embroidery thread, and leather straps.
The final pieces are all unisex, and do not conform to any societal labels. This adds to the question of identity raised, when discussing the role jewellery plays in today’s world.
They also include the aspect of functionality in the form of pockets incorporated into the jewellery.
Course guide: Susanne Winter
Models: Larissa, Anton, Soham
Photography: Mira Varma
Models: Larissa, Anton, Soham
Photography: Mira Varma
