Spot the Designer - Sinae Baik/ South Korea

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

I've loved drawing since I was little. I especially enjoyed drawing characters, so I drew cartoon characters and friends. And I was always a student whose textbook margins were full of drawings. So I dreamed of becoming a cartoonist when I was young.

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

I loved things that glittering as much as painting. When I was young, I won a green glass ring by playing Gacha with my friends. My friends around me said the ring was tacky, but I really liked the shiny ring. As such, I liked glitter from a young age, and I had a vague dream of ‘I will become a person who makes things that glittering in the future.’ And when I went to college, I applied to the metal craft department, and while studying at school, I fell in love with jewelry more and more. Thanks to that, I am still working as a jewelry artist to this day.

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

Last year, Covid-19 made our lives powerless, and we, who are experiencing this for the first time, talk about a social stop, and everyone has to stay at home. So, I made the ‘Hello Box Kit’ together with a ceramic artist and a textile artist and delivered it to the citizens. This box consists of a kit that allows you to enjoy ceramic crafts, textile crafts, and metal crafts. I had been working on an art project where citizens and artists are exhibiting together. Citizens made crafts according to their respective manuals, sent them back to us, and displayed them together with the works of the artist. Asking for each other's well-being was the theme of the work, and I hoped that individuals could be healed for a while through crafts, and the response was actually good. With the success of this project as an opportunity, I plan to continue doing art projects that go beyond the realm of jewelry and can be shared with citizens through my artistic sense. I hope that our lives will always be with art.

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

I love to travel, so whenever I have time, I go on a trip. So, I remember travelling a lot by myself. The most memorable trip was when I was in Southeast Asia for about 3 months. It was a trip I left unintentionally, but somehow three months have passed, and I think I was able to do a lot of works with the energy I received from that trip. It's a little sad that I can't travel right now. Another hobby is to stare blankly at the surroundings or passersby. Usually, people around me say, ‘You are a freelancer, so it’s good for you to have a lot of free time, but it must be said without knowing the essence of a freelancer. The reality is that freelancers are too complicated in their heads with various things. That's why I value my thoughtless time very much. It is also a time to take a breather. And when I do people-watching without thinking like this, I sometimes come across good motifs. It is also a very good opportunity for me, whose subject is everyday life.

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

The Cloisonné I use has a long history comparable to that of metal crafts. However, unlike the traditional Cloisonné technique, I use the lines on the metal plate not as a partition wall to distinguish colors like the existing cloisonné work, but as a line of contemplation to draw a friendly surrounding landscape. In this work, it is no longer important whether the Cloisonné technique is a lined or not. What is more important than the style of the technique is how to interpret the existing technique in a modern way. For me, the work of Cloisonné is like a healing process. Hard and rigid metal work is mostly done based on perfect design and planning, but I can use lines to express my imagination freely on the metal surface. I believe that the Cloisonné technique and the current daily life are inseparable. Because modern motifs can be used to advance traditional technique.

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

I have a work called <my space, nap>, my most recent series. In this work, the motif of me lying in bed is the most self-portrait of myself in accessories. We shape ourselves in our space every day. I often feel my existence once again by organizing my thoughts in my room, a space where I can fully focus on myself. Below are some of the artist's notes I wrote while working on it.

The <My space> series expresses myself in the space where I can be the most me.

Unlike the outer space where I live wearing many masks, in the space called ‘My Room’, I am making the most unique facial expressions. As much as the lighter clothes are, the tension in the expression is also removed.

I like to be in bed in my room. I think anyone can answer the question about the feel of the duvet on the skin. As this good feeling continues, I begin to sort out the piles of thoughts brought from outside. In this relaxed atmosphere, my thoughts are organized one by one and take their place within me. Those thoughts are arranged and gathered to create a more mature ‘me’.… (Syncopation) As time goes on and I keep adding thoughts to my thoughts, I am in the middle between reality and the other world. In it, surrounded by my own thoughts, I fully feel my existence.

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

I am currently working as a residency craft artist. The biggest advantage of residency is that you can meet craft artists of other genres. Among them, the thing that attracted me the most was ceramics. Compared to metal, ceramics can create more free forms. Bewildered by its soft physical properties, I have been making a lot of soil since last winter. Also, seeing the Cloisonné glaze being baked on the ceramic made it even more attractive to me. I want to test different types of soil in different ways and create objects that collaborate with metal.

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

As I said before, I did a lot of healing projects during the pandemic. During this pandemic, I did not stop in the realm of contemporary jewelry, but healed my life through metal crafts and further art, and I was healed by seeing the works of citizens. Now I am working again as contemporary jewelry artist. The hard times are still there, but I believe we will get through it together.

How do you see the future of contemporary jewelry?

I think modern accessories will expand into a larger area in the future. This is because the number of consumers who understand and accept modern contemporary jewelry is increasing compared to the past, and platforms that can showcase them are popping up everywhere. Also, although we had many difficulties, we succeeded in finding a new way to be here again, and by expanding our free-thinking, I look forward to meeting accessories in a larger area in the future.

Find more about the designer Sinae Baik