A project on sustainable architectural jewelry made from trash collected from the architecture department of Iowa State University.
ABSTRACT
Jewelry has a long-rooted connection with Architecture though not recognized prominently. In the 21st century, as architectural tastes became wide with no predominant style but consisting of several styles from postmodernism, high-tech architecture to highly conceptual and expressive forms and designs, so too the jewelry of the period evolved.
Architectonic jewelry is a style of Contemporary jewelry, which is a subset of Constructivist studio jewelry that makes use of architectural forms and ideas in the much smaller-scale format of jewelry in relation to the human body. The focus of my design is to make Sustainable architectural jewelry to reduce the excessive waste that is generated in an architecture department from the student projects. The trashes have been collected from various departments in the College of Design, Iowa State University, to re-purpose them by turning them into well-crafted, fashion-forward wearable pieces while celebrating historic architectural details.
The final designs were derived from architectural mood boards by using a juxtaposition of architectural sculpture, texture, and structures with an emphasis on the intersection of old and new architectural worlds inspired by the creation of the iconic monument, Eiffel Tower. The handcrafted details follow the principals like linearity, the inclusion of geometric elements, undisguised structural elements, and use of varying depth to convey a sense of design.
SAMPLE OF COLLECTED TRASH
WHY FROM TRASH?
The trash generated in any architecture department is pretty much a conscious choice. Not only do most of the prints and models end up in the dumpster but they also indirectly keep adding to the number of pollutants being produced in Ames. The choice to recycle and reuse is an adaptive way of living, which requires a conscious effort and leads us towards sustainability. As a designer, we can make it an inbuilt ritual by reusing these materials through contemporary jewelry, which can further generate economic viability for the students who are buying the raw materials and also for the college in reducing waste generation.
PROCESS
CONCEPT
ITERATIONS
As a designer, we can make it an inbuilt ritual by reusing these materials through contemporary jewelry, which can further generate economic viability for the students who are buying the raw materials and also for the college in reducing waste generation.
FINAL PROTOTYPES
MAKING DETAILS
FINAL PRODUCT
