Hon's exhibition, especially jewellery at Elegance; celebrating the Chinese Year of the Dragon

Dragon pendant celebrating the chinese year of the dragon.
Preparatory drawings and one of the products.
manufactured at Elegance.

Elegance Jewellers is the venue of my solo exhibition, situated opposite Europa the Restaurant (follow the provided link for a 360 virtual tour of the site) – located in the in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg - the recent development at Melrose Arch Shopping Precinct. Situated next to the M1 highway (on the left) on route to Pretoria, between Houghton and Sandton (see map provided below), this well designed and utilized urban space, integrates retail, leisure and hospitality, including office, as well as residential space.

This is arguably a 21 century, postmodern workable design solution to urban living space, first anticipated by the modernist architect, Le Corbusier, when he designed Cité radieuse (radiant city) in Marseilles of 1947-52. You’re every need provided on site. The building incorporated shops with an architectural bookshop, sporting, medical and educational facilities, a hotel which is open to the public, and a gastronomic restaurant, Le Ventre de l'Architecte ("The Architect's Belly"). Cited in Wikipedia.

Melrose Arch is the ultimate luxury shopping experience, catering for the glamorously dressed, to shop in style, in comfort and without fear. Here you can look good, feel good and shop for goods, enjoying a truly blue-sky shopping mall experience. 

Elegance Jewellers, in every sense of the word, offers the discerning shopper a value adding experience in luxury goods. Focusing mainly on jewellery, watches and an exclusive section for MontBlanc classics. 

However on the first floor of this triple volume space is an exhibition venue, designed and styled in the same luxurious materials and finishes of the ground floor. The beautifully designed cabinets, complete with LED/LCD lighting, provides for an idyllic space for my latest creative endeavour. The display cabinets providing excellent individual units for the detailed and refined displays of mounted preparatory drawings -  printed in limited editions on acid free paper.

I could not have anticipated a more perfect place, space and display cabinets for my framed and mounted limited editions of ballpoint pen drawings and artist sketchbooks, printed on acid-free paper. 

When I saw the space and met with one of the owners, Oresti, it became clear to me that I could expand my creative ideas to include designer products, inspired by the ceramic installation with projected animation titled, and the ship sails on, celebrating the Chinese Year of the dragon. 

Artist sketch books, printed in limited editions, complete
with Phumani Archival Mill packaging by Sipho.

Being a jewellery retail outlet and the fact that I am now a lecturer in Jewellery Design and Manufacture at FADA (UJ), it became obvious to me that my applied design approach should include a few jewellery pieces – the design process; from reference to concept, right through to the CAD renderings all of which featured on this blog. 

Dragon pendant with ballpoint preparatory drawings.

The collaboration proved to be a huge success as confirmed by the words of Socratis Avgitidis of neofundi - a platform for fundis on what's new - featuring YOU! Follow the provided link to read more and experience this amazing site promoting all things stylish and authentically luxurious. 

Here are a few of the finished jewellery pieces, on display and for sale at my exhibition. They are exhibited in between the other creative statements, in alternate display cabinets, together with the design development renderings, also printed on acid free paper.

Hon's Solo Exhibition @ Elegance - celebrating the year of the dragon.

Hön's cufflinks CAD renderings by Tyron Hulley,
a 3rd year UJ Jewellery student.

My solo exhibition is one month away (date to be announced soon). The exhibition will consist of a range of products including, ceramics, jewellery, framed drawings, the artist’s original drawing book, together with a limited edition of artist’s books; copies of the artist’s drawing book. 

The books consists of all the ballpoint pen drawings, reference material leading to the concept development of the art work. Also included are drawings for the actual projected animation including the renderings of the design and development of the jewellery pieces - some of which are featured here. CAD renderings of the cufflinks, rendered by one of the UJ 3rd year Jewellery students, Tyron Hulley (images above and below). The limited edition of artist’s books is leather bound and embossed with the artist’s logo, complete with gold foiling (image above).

Hön's cufflinks - perspective view.
CAD rendering by Tyron Hulley.

The exhibition will feature the launch of a video of the ceramic installation with projected animation titled, and the ship sails on – exhibited at last Years FADA Staff exhibition titled collaborations/articulations curated by Brenden Gray. Filmed by Hannes Botha, the actual footage of the installation, shot from a variety of angles are being edited by Mocke J Van Veuren. Also exhibited will be large framed signed prints on acid free paper - stills of the ceramic installation with projected animation (seen above), photographed by Jan Potgieter – the UJ photographer.  

The exhibition coincides with the Chinese Year of the Dragon (follow link to post defining its significance). Central to the ceramic installation with projected animation is the five-clawed dragon; it also features in the drawings, the jewellery pieces and prints on acid free paper.

The ceramics are slip-cast pieces guilded in silver, copper and brass. The guilded decoy ducks will blend in well with the exhibition venue and space; in amongst the jewellery at Elegance, the Jewellery store featured below. 

Also on show will be the artist’s selection of ballpoint pen drawings, preparatory drawings for the animation; scanned copies of the originals (limited editions), printed on acid-free paper. They were selected from the artist’s sketchbook, consisting of 84 pages of thinking through drawing. Leather bound (blue) with the artist’s logo embossed on the cover. The drawings took a year to complete; they are rendered in a Big ballpoint pen and also features the conceptual and design development of the jewellery pieces to be shown at the exhibition.

The exhibition venue is on the 1^st floor of Elegance, an upmarket Jewellery store in Melrose Arch – opposite Europa. A sophisticated interior, beautifully styled with numerous glass cases – perfect for the products to be displayed. Small LCD lights situated in the corners of the display units will ensure the products are well lit, beautifully displayed to maximum effect, whilst ensuring the displays are safe and secure during the exhibition run.

Exhibition space, 1st floor of Elegance Jewellery Store

Elegance jewelers offered me the space to showcase my ceramic installation with the projected animation featuring the Chinese five-clawed dragon; celebrating the Chinese New Year – the year of the dragon.  It is not possible to install the installation, due to the height of the celling on the first floor. However the exhibition is an extension of the original artwork; by-products derived at from an applied design approach of the overall concept and preparatory drawings. An all-embracing creative endeavor to celebrate the year of the dragon.

Hön's cufflinks - top view.
CAD rendering by Tyron Hulley

My favourite work on display will be sets of cufflinks, based on the animation featuring the five-clawed dragon. The dragon’s snake like figure, complete with scales of a carb and belly of a clam encircles the ‘flaming pearl’ or ‘dragon ball’, a symbol of ‘rolling thunder’ or the ‘rain-bringer’. It is also considered the pearl of perfection, that is to say wisdom, enlightenment and the spiritual essence of the universe.

Details of the exhibition opening and duration of the exhibition will feature here shortly – watch this space.

Ballpoint pen drawings of jewellery designs; cuff links and rings with pearls.

Large corsage brooch, Designer Henri Vever (1854-1942),
showcased at World's fair in Paris in 1900.
Thomas Faerber Collection, Geneva. cited in Book titled Pearls.

The designs for the jewellery pieces are progressing well. I have completed the colour drawings for the ring design showcased in a previous post. Step by step preparatory ballpoint pen drawings, featured on previous blog posts with the label Jewellery Designs (follow link). I refined the design by addressing the use of colour to enhance symmetry (to be enameled).

Ballpoint pen drawings; jewellery designs for cuff links and or rings. 

For the past two weeks however, I have focused my attention on new designs, rendered in preparatory ballpoint pen drawings showcased here. I have had to reduce the scale of the drawings to address design preferences and styling to scale. 

I have also extended my product range, opting to include neck pieces, cuff links and more rings. This has been a very exciting journey for me, as I am responsible for teaching drawings in the Jewellery Department. I have spent long hours honing my drawing style, especially rendering skills for jewellery design and manufacture.

I have also tried to render and capture the forms and shapes of pearls, as they feature strongly in the mythology of the five-clawed dragon. The dragon chasing a pearl ringed with flames, is at the centre of the inspiration for my ceramic installation with projected animation, titled and the ship sails on (image on the left).   Although it does not feature in the work at all, I have decided to incorporate pearls in the jewellery pieces for the following reasons.

To this end I have referenced an incredible book/catalogue titled Pearls. The book serves as a catalogue to an exhibition, also with the title Pearls, curated by the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha. The exhibition ran from January – June 2010. The author of the book was Dr Hubert Bari and David Lam. 

The Islamic Art Museum Qatar Doha, Architect IM Pei. 

It is an extensive publication that documents the formation of pearls, its history, their cultivation and finally a tribute to the first lady of pearls, Mademoiselle Chanel. The book also showcases historically significant and archetypal jewellery pieces as well as contemporary designs that are breathtaking in their beauty and design (image below). The post title image a fine example, arguably the most stunning jewellery piece featuring pearls ever designed.

'Cristaux Perles' necklace composed of
diamonds and pearls. Cited in Book Pearls

 Firstly, I have to address its importance and significance to the Chinese culture and in particular its symbolic association with the dragon.  Next year being the Year of the dragon and as mentioned on previous blog posts the theme of my exhibition in January 2012.The pearl represents a principal of life and embodies revitalization. Many sources do however question the fact whether the round forms and shapes in early artifacts does originate from the pearl itself or its association with the moon. It does not really matter, what is important are their symbolic meaning and significance. Both emblems embody fertilization and regeneration. The dragon pursuing a pearl is synonymous with the moon cycle - the iridescent sphere moving through the night sky.   When caught and swallowed by the dragon, it exemplifies the rare occurrences of an eclipse. Hence the Chinese fascination with pearls, its cultivation and incorporation in body adornment.

Gabrielle Chanel, portrait by Boris Lipnitzki (1897-1971)
cited in book titled Pearls (Bari & Lam; 2010)

Man Ray 1935.

Hommage to Mademoiselle Gabrielle Chanel – and her pearls.

Secondly, is the association of pearls with the fashion icon Coco Chanel (1883 -1971)? Her pearls were her most adorned and coveted possessions. She was apparently infatuated with their simple and yet lustrous and iridescent qualities. She would not be seen without them. She was however less concerned with the value of the pearls than their striking lustrous simplicity. She even wore fake pearls.

Go and look for my pearls. I am not going up to the ateliers until I have them round my neck, for I insist on being a credit to my girls.

Gabrielle Chanel.

Ballpoint pen drawings, ring design II. Refinement of form, structure and decoration.

Refining your design concept through drawing is essential.

What follows is the final drawing, step by step, in black and white. Colour will now be added and featured in the next post, entered shortly.

The drawing was done using a ballpoint pen - a fine Big pen. Comparing the drawings of this post and the previous entry will indicate the subtle design changes. Brought about through valuable critique by colleagues and students at the Department of Jewellery Design and Manufacture, where I teach.

Refinement of the design and the drawing.  
Changes made to the flaming leaves, refining the symmetry of the forms and shapes of the leaves and the flowers (the composition) I also took into account the negative shapes created by the leaves and the flowers. Possible manufacturing techniques and methods were also considered in the drawing.

Paper choice

The final drawing was made on page from a Ashrad Sketch Pad, a cartridge paper 200gsm.  The previous drawings (previous post entry) were in a Moleskine sketchbook. The paper is very yellow, maybe faded, bought on a sale.  The texture of the paper is best suited for pencil.  Many of my previous sketchbooks are Daler-Rowney, 150g/ms, acid free paper.  This is the best paper as it has a very slight texture and can take serious crosshatching without bulging. The slight texture prevents the black-ink drawing from flattening out, due to excessive crosshatching. I believe that this enables the drawing to breath, the white shining through.  A certain amount of luminosity is achieved this way – a sheen is obtained. I wish to believe,  this look is specific to ballpoint pen drawings. Very satisfying indeed.