When I was a child, I dreamt of becoming a wedding dress designer. The reason for this dream was quite simple: I wanted every beauty-loving girl to be able to wear a one-of-a-kind wedding gown. Childhood dreams are always pure and beautiful, and I would also fantasize about what it would be like to wear a wedding dress of my own design.
When have you started creating jewelry? How did this passion come about?
Whenever I meet my aunt, I could always see her wearing a multi-strand pearl necklace. The color of the necklace varies with the events she goes to, but the style of it hardly changes. I must say the design and the style fit her perfectly, but I was wondering why she kept wearing the same type of necklace for years. Out of curiosity, I asked my mother, and to my surprise, my aunt got a neck scar underneath that stunning piece of jewelry. Little did I know, some relatives in my family have the same issue with the neck scar due to a genetic thyroid problem. I bet if this could happen in my family, it could happen to many other people in the society. Then why cannot I become the one, a professional designer, to help those people deal with issues like this by creating more desirable pieces of necklaces for those who have neck scars and other imperfections, and make them more confident and charming.
What was your first project or significant piece for you and from what point of view?
This piece marks the first time I truly understood how to convey and express what I think and see in the form of contemporary jewelry. It can be considered the beginning of my creative journey and one of the most significant moments for me. In order to portray the purest beauty in my heart for my hometown and childhood, I created the collection, Home. In the days away from home, I gradually understood that the memories of my hometown will always run in my blood. Accents, eating habits, aesthetic preferences, and ways of thinking, these elements were slowly conceived in my childhood and hometown, and ingrained into me, never leaving no matter where I am. I used mud and grass as materials to try to reproduce a shadow of my old hometown in my collection. The shape of the house and clouds represents my most instinctive and memorable impression in my heart from childhood. One piece of this collection can be worn apart or put together. This symbolizes my feelings and attitude between myself and my childhood hometown. Sometimes reunited and sometimes separated, but there will always be a connection.
How do you charge your batteries? What other passions and creative interests do you have?
I love photography, especially capturing people. I enjoy extracting information and energy from people's expressions. The emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness always lead me into their world. I'm willing to spend time pondering and speculating about their stories, deriving empathy from them. Photographing people always gives me a sense of power, as it allows me to feel an infinite array of emotions surrounding me, igniting my desire to create.
What does the connection between manufacturing tradition and contemporary design mean to you?
Traditional jewelry is like a tool that guides us to explore more possibilities within jewelry. We inherit traditional craftsmanship and build upon it to contemplate the connection between jewelry and people, transforming jewelry from a mere technique into an expression of thought.
Is there a self-portrait piece that speaks most about you?
When emotions are habitually covered up and ignored, the instinctive expression becomes dissonant. Feeling wanders through my meridians, trembling nerve endings and cerebral cortex, but blocked by the barrier of expression. Garment obscures the ontology, creating a private and hidden space, or a corner. The restricted expression confronts the expression itself, leaving the Garment standing alone in its corner, like my shadow, like myself.
Which material have you not yet used is a temptation and a challenge for you?
Building materials like cement or bricks are materials I have never used before, but they represent a challenge and a desire for me. Constructing a house is magical to me, and I hope these materials can be a part of what I create to build a world that belongs to me.
How was the pandemic period for you as a jewelry designer?
The pandemic period has been a challenge for me, but it has also been a transformation. I've gradually come to enjoy working and contemplating alone at home. The private space has heightened my creative desire, and I find myself delving deeper into each story I want to express.
How do you see the future of contemporary jewelry?
Contemporary jewelry will be a form of human expression, a means of communication through which we advocate for understanding, convey emotions, please ourselves, and construct our world.
