Some previously unseen in my B-Tech from 2017

through my exploration of one of the vikings design styles the Oseberg style, i found some interesting patterns as well as a better understanding or familiarization as to how the designs were done.  

From going through the designs i observed that the use of zoomorphic imagery in the designs were very prevalent and so i thought that i could design another similar piece but with an animal subject of my own so i incorporated the Vervet Monkey into my design possess. Below I started my own designs with the Vervet monkey as the animal motif.

Here is were i tried creating my own designs with the Oseberg styles and the Vervet monkey 

that resonated with me such as the black mamba. 

Thor’s Hammer Mjolnir pendant from 10th-11th century

I chose to research and make this pendant as my first piece because of how well it shows a host of symbolism on the surface and as a whole, I think it is one of many perfect examples that show the Vikings capacity to create pieces with a form of narrative meaning such as spiritual symbolism.

As we observe the piece we can see that it is very busy with detail so in order to explain it I had to break it down in sections.

Firstly the overall shape is that of Thor’s hammer which was worn as a symbol of strength, protection and patronage to the god of thunder. The other element that can be observed is the head of an eagle which in Norse mythology is considered to represent strength, death and Odin and as it is at the top of the pendant is shows the importance of that god and of the control Odin has over other gods such as Thor. The last symbol is a stylised version of the witch’s knot which is a protective symbol against witchcraft. 

http://archaicwonder.tumblr.com/post/139384554358/viking-thors-hammer-pendant-10th-11th-century

Through making the replica of this pendant I learnt how much effort is involved in even the most simplest of design and that working with modern tools I can further appreciate how skilled the Scandinavians were at that time with the technology they had.    

Narrative- social concerns and symbolism

For my B-tech I hope to explore the social and symbolic meanings through the evolution of ancient Scandinavian jewellery from 800 to 1200 ad.

In the Viking age the Scandinavian people would wear a number of different jewellery pieces for different purposes, some wore them to prays the gods or to seek help from them, some wore them as a symbol of social status and some wore pieces as redeemable wealth.

 Seeing how closely linked some of their jewellery is to their lives shows me that the research must start with the lives of the people in order to see the meaning in their jewellery. their jewellery is symbolic and “succinct yet addresses the complex question of relationships” (Noriko Takai) and it is interesting to see how back then as well as today “we use jewellery to celebrate important dates and occasions in our lives,” (Noriko Takai).

So I’ll be looking at how other social systems such as Christianity influenced their jewellery, the way their jewellery has changed over time with different technologies and I will be looking at the physical construction methods. 

800-1200ad Scandinavian (Viking) jewellery

My aim is to engage in a theoretical and practical dissertation on why Viking jewellery from 800-1200 ad looks the way it does, and how it tells the story of the people who lived in that era, because as external influences found their way into Viking culture, their jewellery was influenced accordingly. This dissertation will go through three key points of exploration; first the cultural influences found in their society, second their external influences from other societies the Vikings encountered, and thirdly their construction methods and utilization of materials.  

From Viking to crusader, Scandinavia and Europe 800-1200. Rizzoli International Publications, Inc. 1992. Page 21
Dated to the 2nd half of the 10th century this piece is a highly decorated box used to keep personal possessions , traditionally known as a 'Kunigunde's jewel box' and its stylized motifs are of the Mammen style. 

http://archaicwonder.tumblr.com/post/130512568386/viking-bronze-enmeshed-dragon-brooch-10th-century
This is a 10th century bronze dragon brooch which I chose  because it shows that even with the low technologies they had at their disposal the vikings seem to have a high level of skill in in the lost wax casting. as for the design, the use of a coiled or twisted dragon could depict the Midgard serpent who is described as a giant sea monster that grew so large that it encircled the world and grasped its own tail.  
i also chose to show this piece because it might be 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_art
I chose this bronze brooch because it shows off a particular viking design style called the Borre style witch can be identified by its interlacing geometric patterns and single animal motifs.    

proposal

This piece is by Devin Thomas who I chose because of his amazing use of Mokume Gane utilization in a durable practical object such as a safety back razor which is something I hope to construct later on. I was also attracted to the use of a higher brass content both giving a rich look and strength to the piece.

http://bladegallery.com/shopexd.asp?id=89811&photo=3&size=n

This other piece of his I chose because it shows an interesting wood, bone and metal composition that I might utilize in the future.      

http://bladegallery.com/shopexd.asp?id=92417

   

I chose this piece of jewellery because i like the way that shes taken a metal layering method like Mokumay Gane and turned it into something that's very satisfying as a pattern. this piece has an interesting technique that I should like to explore further.

this was taken from (The compleat book of jewelery making , by Carles Codina, published by Lark Books, 2006 ) .

I liked this piece because its design show's a certain strength in beauty as well as its mechanical features interest me. this piece shows the the design and mechanical side of my B tech Interests. this was taken from (Modernist Jewelry 1930-1960 the wearable art movement by Marbeth Sehon, published by Schiffer publishing Ltd. 2004, page 20 ). 

The exploration of my B.Tech question will begin with research into how these products were made for the masses compared to how their made now as well as price, and to see if I can make a product of superior quality for cheaper. 

I’ll be researching construction of certain mechanical components as well as different metal compositions.

I’ll be further exploring the method of Mokume Gane with different metals such as plat silver as well as exploring different combination of wood and leather to create either composites or inlays and backings.

I also hope to construct a final symbol that would later on act as my own personal stamp.

 https://za.pinterest.com/danielh0466/b-tech-referencing/

B-tech project proposal

my research question for btech is bringing back decadence from the past  to every day items in the present. what that means is that i am trying bring beauty and durability into everyday around the house things such as scissors, razors, cigarette cases, lighters, combs and jewellery boxes .
also i will be incorporating makumay gane and mixed materials such leather and wood.
i wanted to research this as my topic because i have always appreciated everyday products from times such as art decco. i do appreciate its beauty but mainly i am astounded that these things last so long in perfect condition and that's were the durability factor comes in.  

Platinum project

Ancient Irish Stories and Art

I started off by researching the Irish folktales and traditional patterns and weaves as seen below. 

This mood board is a culmination of my initial referencing.

   

test pieces for weave patterning

embossing weave exploration

constructed prototype utilizing roll milled weave.

final prototype using tight weaving over a flared inner sleeve.
sterling silver.

Clay element patterns



original pattern element

I enjoyed this combination purely because of its simplicity and easy to follow line work, I think it represents infinite fluidity.



I chose this combination for my 2D elements because it gave the objects a flow for surface area distribution, kind of like the previous image it has a natural balance I like.  



I chose this element combination because looking at this pattern from above I can actually visualise the layering of line work without drawing it in. In other words it allowed me to incorporate to elements to observe one design.   



Patterns in the market

Walking through the markets in CBD Durban, looking for pattern wherever it may lie is quite interesting because it forces you to look through the facade of an urban environment. This observing mindset allowed me to see the diversity in the city, with culture, produce or product, infrastructure or architecture, and language, had all that been the only things i had viewed i would have called it paradise.  Sadly the overwhelming sites of inefficiency, poverty, bad living conditions and an abundance of pollution were all very clear all over the city.
So if there is anything I have learnt on that tripe besides the selective purchasing of fabric for this design project it is that we have to be conscious about how our society treats people in  an environment that is completely unsustainable for life and lifestyle.

 

The Perception that all Jewellery must be made from precious materials

I have chosen this perception as my topic because I have generally only been exposed to mainly lavish and precious material jewellery, and so i was curious to see what ells was out there.

Erica Skadsen

There are many people that challenge this perception , one of them is Erica Skadsen who uses  hardwoods in her jewellery. She creates pieces such as earrings made from Ebony, Olive wood and Granadillo.

Ebony Tunnel earrings 

Chakte huge ear spirals.
organicjewelry

I chose Erica Skadsen because I myself have been working with hardwoods for a number of years in my woodwork classes at school and home, so naturally I took an interest in her work because I enjoy the use of these beautiful and exotic woods.       

Circus Jewellery piece 

To design my jewellery piece I based it mainly on circus animal, tigers in particular. Here are a few references showing how i used the tigers as a design aspect. I used the tiger as my main design aspect because I have always appreciated the raw power of nature in a tigers face.

majestic tiger baring its teeth 

http://www.it-tiger.co.uk/

I also used the stripe pattern of a zebra because of how well the combination of tiger and zebra stripes go together. 

Circus Zebra 

stopcircussufferingalls

Final piece

"The Jewelers Tiger Heart"
made from silver, brass and leather.

 


Through the construction of this piece i found many challenges along the way but non more so than the open Filigree, because of the minimal contact it has with the main piece and the difficulty in keeping an even heat the Filigree did not solder. Until I used small pallions of solder instead of the solder paste, this aloud for more precise solder adhesion. The things I enjoyed the most was the texturing, the backed Filigree and the layering even though it was fairly challenging since I had to balance each one on the other before soldering.  

Design Development 

In my design development i have taken the facial lines of a tiger and the stripe pattern of a zebra, I then played around with each image to come up with some design features witch you can observe bellow.  

I then went on to use those design features in my final design rendering, but not befor adding some of my own ideas such as the circular patterns and original feature augmentations.  

Before i rendered my final detailed design I made a paper prototype showing the sequence of layers, you can see this on the top left below.

finally i went on to design the final filligri placements as well as the back plate and top layer plates. 

Eric Provminski's helmet. 

The facial mouth apparatus helps the air filtration. 

The two optical devices aid in night vision and data display 

air coolant tubes are found under the optical aides.  

the nodes on the left and right of the helmet are long range communications as well as atmospheric readers. 

On the helmets left is a radiation meter (geiger counter).  

Eric’s Journey through the new world

In the year 2025, in a little town in Minsk an 18-year-old boy by the name of Eric Provminski was getting ready for bed, but little did he know that tomorrow his life and the lives of countless others would be changed forever.

Eric’s father Jova Provminski was an inventor, he created the most useful and miraculous inventions, he even patented and soled a few.

One day Eric’s father realized that because of all the fighting between his country and others over depleting resources with the exception of atomic, it was not long before something bad would happen. So thinking about his child’s safety he sought to create his best invention yet!

 He worked for years leading up to the unforgettable day in 2025. That night as Eric lay in bed his father had completed the invention that would protect his son’s life. Mr. Provminski dizzy with excitement ran to his son’s room to show him his work, but in his hurry he was completely unaware that the moment has come. Just outside Minsk one of many other atomic bombs had just gone off!, weather it was an accident or a sinister attack nobody knows. The initial shockwave struck Mr. Provminski’s already unstable house and so a beam was loosened in his path and crushed half his body. Hearing this Eric ran out to find his father barley holding onto life calling out to him. Eric in a state of emotion tried to lift the great oak beam, but his father insisted he stop and listen to him. The boy fear stricken fell to his knees and lent over his father so as to hear his last words. He said “Eric I can no longer protect you from the world that you are about to come into, so I made this to keep you alive and perhaps remind you of me when I’m gone”. Eric looked over and saw that his father was holding some sort of suit with a peculiar looking helmet. Jova said it will protect you from the radiation, harmful gasses and hopefully anything ells. He died soon after those last words and his son realizing the oncoming cataclysm put on the suit and held on for dear life.

For hours he was bashed and hammered until he emerged from the rubble he surveyed the devastation that was his new world. As he assessed himself Eric noticed something on the sleeve of his suit, it was a placard which said.

“My dearest son Eric, I love you and if in my absence you are may this suite guide you through the darkness and protect you from danger.

My light shines through you now”.