TASTY BITS
AN ARTICLE FROM VANITY FAIR UK BY ANNABEL DAVIDSON
NUTRE ARAYAVANISH IS A YOUNG GIRL GROWING UP IN BANGKOK. SHE WAS SPREAD THE USUAL INFANT ART-CLASS TASKS OF MAKING PIPE CLEANER ANIMALS OR EARNESTLY GLUEING BITS OF COLOURED PAPER TO CARDBOARD. INSTEAD, ALONG WITH HER SCHOOLMATES, SHE LEARNT "PUANG-MALAI", THE ART OF GARLAND-MAKING, INVOLVING THE STRINGING OF TINY FLOWERS, BUDS AND LEAVES INTO INTRICATE GARLANDS.
JUMP TO LONDON, 2005, AND AS HER CONTEMPORARIES ON THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART'S JEWELLERY COURSE FOCUSED THEIR SKILLS ON PRECIOUS METALS AND GEMS, ARAYAVANISH WAS BUSY PLAYING WITH VARIOUS FORMS OF WOOD, WORKING OUT HOW TO TURN HER DELICATE DRAWINGS OF BLOSSOMING FLOWERS AND OTHER BOTANIC SHAPES INTO THREE-DIMENSIONAL OBJECTS. SETTLING FOR DELICATE, PALE BIRCH PLYWOOD, HAND-LEAFED IN 22 CARAT GOLD, SHE WAS ABLE TO TRANSFER HER SKETCHES OF BURSTING BUDS AND STYLISED BLOOMS DIRECTLY ONTO THE PLYWOOD CANVAS AND THEN PETAL PUNCH OUT REDUNDANT BACKGROUND AND HAND-FOLD THE RESULTANT SHAPES BEFORE SECUREING THEM ONPIERCED CIRCULAR LAYERS OF GOLD PLATED SILVER. IT TAKES ENDLESS PATIENCE AND CONCENTRAATION, BUT SITTING WITH HER ON THE FLOOR OF HER IMMACULATE AND BRUTALLY MINIMALIST FLAT, SIPPING GREEN TEA, IT'S CLEAR THAT SHE'S MORE THAN 'ZEN' ENOUGH FOR IT.
SO STRANGELY COMPLICATED IS THE ACTUAL FOLDING, SLOTTING AND FITTING PROCESS THAT IS ONLY THROUGH CAREFULLY PERUSING HER SKETCH BOOK THAT ONE CAN SEE, VIA BEAUTIFULLY PENCILLED ILLUSTRATIONS, HOW SHE EFFECTS THE EVOLUTION OF A SKETCHED DESIGN INTO AN ACTUAL PIECE OF JEWELLERY. ONCE YOU SEE THE PIECE AT THE HALFWAY STAGE, YOU GET IT. "I LIKE TO MAKE THINGS THAT PEOPLE HAVE TO ENGAGE WITH," ARAYAVANISH EXPLAINS. " I AM INTERESTED IN THE REACTION PEOPLE HAVE TO MY PIECES, WHICH ARE OFTEN AT VARIOUS STAGE OF CONSTRUCTIONS." WHICH EXPLAINS PERFECTLY A PARTICULAR STRIKING PIECE OF HERS ON DISPLAY AT LONDON'S MODERN JEWELLERY MECCA, THE ELECTRUMGALLERY. SIMPLE TITLED 'PETAL NECKLACE', HALF THE COMPONENTS ARE PRINTED FLAT ON A THIN WOODEN CANVAS, WHILE THE OTHER HALF TUMBLE FROM IT IN 3D.
PEOPLE WHO BUY 'PETAL NECKLACE' CAN EITHER DISPLAY IT AS ART, OR THEY CAN POP THE FLAT COMPONENTS OUT AND WEAR THE PIECE AS A STRAND OF FLAT AND 3D BEADS." SHE SAYS, GRABBING AS AN EXAMPLE ONE OF HER SMALL 'POSTABLEJEWELLERY' POSTCARDS AND DEFTLY POPPONG OUT PRE-CUT SHAPES, WHICH SLOT NTO EACH OTHER TO FORM AN ENTIRELY WEARABLE RING. NOT THAT YOU WOULD POST 'PETAL' NECKLACE IN A HURRY. EACH BEAD CONSISTS OF MULTIPLE LAYERS OF FINE WOODEN PETALS WITH GOLD PLATED SILVER CENTRES, WHICH ARE HAND-PIRCED, FOLDED AND SLOTTED INTO PLACE. THE FLAT CANVAS IS HAND-LEAFED WITH GOLD, AND THE FINAL RESULT IS A NAVEL SKIMMING STRAND OF BEADS THAT WOULD
LOOK COMPLETELY AT HOME UNDER GLASS IN AN ART GALLERY. BUT ARAYAVANISH DOESN'T RESTRICT HERSELF TO WORK SO DELICATE IT CAN ONLY BE WORN BY THE BRAVEST OF JEWELLERY ENTHUSIASTS. HER POSTABLE JEWELLERY SERIES INCLUDES A GOLD LEAFED PAPER CHAIN NECKLACE THAT POPS OUT OF AN OLD-FASHIONED AEROGRAM, WHILE HER WOODEN POSTCARD-RINGS ARE PRICED NO HIGHER THAN YOUR AVERAGE BUNCH OF DAISIES. PLUS THEY WON'T WILT AND DIE. VERY 'ZEN' INDEED.
INTERVIEW ARTICLE
DESIGN MANIFESTO
AN INTERVIEW FROM JEWELLERY FOCUS UK BY ALISON JACOBS
NUTRE ARAYAVANISH COMPLETED HER MA AT THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART AFTER STUDYING JEWELLERY DESIGN IN THAI UNIVERSITY, SILPAKORN IN BANGKOK. SHE WAS VOTED 'NEW DESIGNER OF THE YEAR' IN 2007 AND ALSO RECEIVED AN AWARD 'JEWELLERY DESIGNER OF THE YEAR FROM BRITISH JEWELLERS' ASSOCIATION. NUTRE'S WORKS ICAN BE FOUND AT MANY GALLERIES IN LONDON, UK AND EUROPE MORE DETAILS IN HERE.
WHEN DID YOU MOVE TO LONDON AND WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST ABOUT BANGKOK?
I MOVED TO LONDON IN 2005 FOR MY MASTER DEGREE AT THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART. AFTER I GRADUATED IN 2007, I DECIDED TO EXTEND MY WORK EXPERIENCE IN LONDON. WHAT I MISS MOST ABOUT BANGKOK IS DEFINITELY FOOD, WARM WEATHER AND SUNLIGHT AS IT'S DIFFICULT TO FIND IN LONDON.
WHAT IS THE TARGET MARKET OF YOUR JEWELLERY?
I WORK FOR NICHE MARKET. FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVES CRAFTS AND SOMETHING DIFFERENT AS WELL AS COLLECTORS AND MUSEUMS.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE FACTOR THAT MAKE YOUR JEWELLERY IS DIFFERNT FROM OTHERS?
I SUPPOSE IT'S MY POINT OF VIEW AND THE WAY I PRESENT MY IDEA. TALKING ABOUT THE CONCEPT OF NATURAL SHAPE AND FORM, PEOPLE MIGHT THINK IT IS A FREE FORM DESIGN BUT FOR ME IT IS ABSOLUTELY NOT. EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD HAS MANY POINT TO LOOK AT. WHEN I LOOK AT THE FLOWERS THEY'RE CIRCULAR AND THE PETALS HAS SIMILARITY AND REPETITION. I LOOK AT MY PIECE AS AN INTERACTION JEWELLERY. THE WORK I WANT TO MAKE IS SOMETHING THAT CAN STIMULATE THE USER TO FEEL IT OR ENHANCE PEOPLE TO TOUCH. EACH OF MY WORK HAS ITS OWN STORY AND WITH THE ORIENTAL ATMOSPHERE OR REFLECT IT SELF THE BEST IN EUROPEAN MARKET.
IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT IS JEWELLERY?
JEWELLERY IS AN OBJECT OF PASSION. SOMEONE BUYS A PIECES OF JEWELLERY OUT OF PASSION, YOU ALSO BUY IT FOR A PRESENT FOR SOMEONE YOU LOVE AND I ALSO MAKE MY PIECES BECAUSE OF PASSION.
WHAT IS THE SINGLE BEST PIECE OF CAREER ADVICE YOU HAVE RECEIVED?
LUCK IS THE SENSE TO RECOGNISE AN OPPORTUNITY AND THE ABILITY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT. I WAS TOLD BY DAVID WATKINS, MY MOST RESPECTFUL JEWELLERY ARTIST AND MY PROJECT ADVISOR WHEN I WAS AT THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART. I ALWAYS FEEL THAT EVERYTHING IS NOT EASY TO GET EVEN LUCK.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE ITEM IN YOUR COLLECTION AND WHY SO?
I FIND THAT I ALWAYS LIKE MY NEWEST WORK AND ALWAYS THINK THAT IT MAY BE MY BEST. I CAN'T REALLY SPECIFY WHAT MY MOST FAVOURITE PIECE SO FAR. I THINK THIS IS BECAUSE I LIKE TO MOVE ON AND AM ALWAYS VERY EXCITED BY NEW PROJECTS. I SUPPOSE THIS HABIT IS GOOD TO KEEP MYSELF MOTIVATED. BUT ALSO MAKES ME TIRE OF MYSELF, WHILST AT THE SAMETIME I FEEL LIKE I HAVE TO RUN AFTER MYSELF AND CAN'T STOP TO HAVE A REST.
IF YOU STARTED ALL OVER AGAIN, WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENT?
ACTUALLY, I ALWAYS DREAM IF I CAN GET BACK, I COULD BE ABLE TO DO THIS AND THAT. I DON'T KNOW. I AM NOT SURE I WOULD DO ANYTHING DIFFERENTLY. I THINK I TRY TO DO EVERYTHING MY BEST AND HOPE IT WILL AFFECT ME IN A GOOD WAY. EVEN IF I MADE SOME MISTAKES, I SUPPOSE I HAVE LEARNT SOMETHING FROM THEM. EVERYTHING FOR ME NOW IS A GREAT EXPERIENCE SO FAR.
