Final Photos
Details & Points of View
Process
For this project, I employed different repurposed materials for creating a bracelet.
Heating up parts:
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- I melted a plastic bottle cap with flames in order to change its silhouette.
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- I continued melting the cap into a more organic shape.
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- The lid of a plastic food box
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- The lid was cut into smaller pieces.
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- I heat up the small pieces with flames for bending them.
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- The pieces from plastic water bottles were used for larger adornments.
Hand-weaving:
I used the book-binding threads as a stronger medium than regular threads, hand-weaving them to create the base of the bracelet.
Piercing and attaching:
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- I pierced the small pieces to be easier attached to the base.
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- I used the transparent elastic thread to sew pieces together onto the base, experimenting with layerings.
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- the initial completion of adornments
The attached ring:
My design was to create an attached ring with the cap. I started by piercing the caps and painting the cap with white acrylic paint. Then I weaved the book binding threads like the braids as connections between the “ring” and bracelet.
Creating the Clasp:
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- I experimented with wires to figure out a way of creating the clasp.
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- I bended the wires into a small hook at the end to hook the threads.
To make the clasp more fixed, I ended up attaching a plastic piece that was heated up into a long piece which could penetrate through the hole at the end and prevent the bracelet from easily releasing.
Reflections
I named the project as “Transcendence from Nature”, for I was really inspired by another kind of beauty of natures. I was inspired by the piece, being designed for Alexander McQueen, “Crown of Thorns” (by Shaun Leane) at the Jewelry exhibition of the Met. As McQueen said, “You find beauty in the ugliest of places. As I looked at the petals of the narcissus I raise that has been partially withered, I realized that it looked more charming than it in full bloom. I took inspiration from the silhouette withered petals and made the adornments of my bracelet. The intended function of my project is to be worn with at any time, including traveling, formal events and daily because different types of garments would provide it with different feelings, attitudes and meanings. The materials for my project is also natural. Basically every material for my project is repurposed, but the most interesting one is the plastics from bottles and food box. What I learned is that limitations sometimes are not actual limiting the creativity, but instead opening my project to more possibilities and push it beyond the audience’s expectation. In addition, I really get to know the handling of plastics with different thickness and qualities through iterative experiments and the amazing effect of combing the two types of plastics from two objects. What I enjoyed the most from the project is the weaving part to make the base. However, trying figuring out way to make the clasp is really challenging and I was stuck in this step for a while. Overall, I was really satisfied with the transformation of the repurposed plastics which were put together harmoniously as a whole. What I learned about myself is that I have been intuitively inspired a lot by nature even in my previous projects, which would build me a focus and direction.
