Tong-yeong Necklace 2019
Sterling Silver, Pearls, Abalone, Copper (440*230 mm)
Tong-yeong Brooch 2019
Sterling Silver, Pearls, Abalone (150*70 mm)
Artist Statement
I was born in Tong-young in the end of the south part of Korea, a rural city called the Napoli of Asia. I lived there until I was 18 years old, where the city gave me numerous inspirations and made me wonder about big cities across the sea. Even though my hometown was beautiful enough, I was always dreaming of a new world. Whenever I feel bored, I go to the seaside to see the seashells, seaweed, crab, abalone, and smell the salty and wet sea. These sea creatures, originally put under the sea, appear on the shore when the tide is gone. I can see those hidden things clearly. It makes me wonder where they grew up and how they came here. These all natural sea creatures always remind me of Tong-young, when and where I saw and smelled those things. The Tong-young collection exudes nostalgia about my roots, which are always in my heart. I mainly used plastic for setting the materials: pearl, abalone, and silver. Plastic is flexible, clean and transparent like water. With various organic forms, I want to express the childlike wonder of discovering a new undersea world from the shore of Tong-young.
Material Exploration
Vacuum Forming process
Inspired Images
concept development
