Spot the Designer - Patcharabhorn Lueraj/ Thailand

What did you want to be when you were a child?

When I was a child, I wanted to be a teacher. I liked to draw on a blackboard with chalk, mocked as if I was a teacher. I have loved to draw since I could remember. When I was 5-6 years old, one Japanese cartoon was broadcast on the Thai channel. The main character in that cartoon was a painter. The comic inspired me a lot. I tried to paint following the image that the painter had painted. So, to be an artist was also my dream. All that first impression from my childhood motivated me in the latter part of my profession.

When have you started creating jewelry? How did this passion come about?

I seriously made jewelry when I studied jewelry design degree at Silpakorn University. The more I learned about making jewelry, the more I fell in love with it. Now it has become a part of my life. Jewelry design is opening my world to another perspective of the art world.

What was your first project or significant piece for you and from what point of view?

The project took inspiration from Thai traditional subjects. The Kinari, the half human half bird, is the mythical Himavanta forest creature. The importance of these pieces I have made is that as a beginner in school, I can create them from the designing process and bring the sketching 2-dimensional design into the jewelry pieces with my hands. I took an afford to make them, and they came out beautifully. I am immensely proud of it.

How do you charge your batteries? What other passions and creative interests do you have?

Staying at home, doing nothing, sleeping, isolation from people is the best charge of energy for me. Another passion and interest which I have been fond of recently is the Indian traditional dance, Mohiniyattam. I am eager to learn new lessons to add more practice and knowledge.

What does the connection between manufacturing tradition and contemporary design mean to you?

Tradition constructs the present. It has rooted in every moment of the present. What we call “contemporary” does not exist without the root of traditional practice.

Is there a self-portrait piece that speaks most about you?

One moment in my life, I had an accident. My ring finger had broken. Remember the piece of jewelry made out when I had to go to the hospital for physical therapy 3 days a week. My finger could not bend as normal. The therapist would build up the muscle with different tools to do an exercise. One practice was bending fingers. This piece of jewelry is inspired by that moment, and the tools helped me to bend my finger. The practice continued for a year, but my finger has never healed. Yes, my ring finger will not bend again for my entire life. The accident was a significant shift in my life, and the broken finger was a scar reminding me of how I became who I am today.

Which material have you not yet used is a temptation and a challenge for you?

There is plenty of material left to explore. For me, it will be a big challenge to work with digital technology in contemporary jewelry.

How was the pandemic period for you as a jewelry designer?

During a pandemic, everything was changing. The online platforms became popular. To survive in a pandemic, I think every career should learn to adapt themselves to all situations, to remain life balanced, jewelry designers as well. Positively, it might be an advantage that everyone can access and contact others worldwide with the online platforms.

How do you see the future of contemporary jewelry?

Contemporary jewelry was always merged with the art world and world situation. Jewelry design discipline does not stand alone. What the future trend in art and design and the world situation goes, in my opinion, the contemporary jewelry discipline will go in the same direction such as nowadays the trend of sustainability or eco-friendly emerge in the world development plan, and all the movements in every discipline also follow.

Find more about the designe Patcharabhorn Lueraj