Description
Sense of Wonder is a body of work that aims to make the moment of touching and wearing jewelry playful and dynamic. It extends that moment by allowing wearers to participate. In each piece, the wearer is encouraged to create individualized forms by changing or reassembling the units. The combined visual and tactile interaction creates a surprising and inviting experience for viewers and wearers. This experience is renewed each time a wearer modifies a piece into his or her chosen configuration. Sense of Wonder includes fourteen pieces arranged into three groups according to the level of difficulty: Sense of Touch, Reconfiguration, and Wonder. The Sense of Touch pieces provide tactile surprise and enjoyment by touching. Reconfiguration presents pieces that are interchangeable and convertible in terms of color and shape. Lastly, Wonder offers wearers an infinite range of choices in which they can recreate the pieces in any form they desire and challenge their creativity. The body of work utilizes brightly colored plastic, resin, and rubber to create an interaction reminiscent of the childhood experience of playing with toys. By pairing such unconventional materials with traditional materials like sterling silver, the work combines the language of adornment with materials and forms that invite haptic engagement. The wearer can touch, modify, personalize, enjoy, and be delighted by the work. The installation for this exhibition was composed of multiple sheets of colorful medium-density fibreboard (MDF) stacked on top of each other to create a large structure. The jewelry pieces were not just displayed on top of the pedestal but also utilized empty spaces around the structure created by random stacking. The purpose of such an arrangement was to remind audiences of playing hide-and-seek as children. I believe this play-like element also helped provide excitement and joy for the audience. Sense of Wonder was displayed in the University Gallery at San Diego State University from April 11 to April 21, 2016. Images of this thesis project are on file at the School of Art and Design at San Diego State University.
