Daryl Chan
St Mary's Cathedral College
GAIA BLOSSOM
Designed Objects
metal mesh, wire, rubber tube, threads.
Over time, our world has been modernised through innovations and industrialisation which burden and disregard the natural environment. My body of work, Gaia Blossom, uses both organic and manufactured materials to explore the intricate balance between the natural and industrial worlds. My intent is to bring attention to the presence of industrialisation in our society, and how it affects the beauty of the natural environment and society’s connection to nature itself. I have woven the colour green through each piece to represent the natural world in contrast to the cold metallic elements. A delicate nature is still retained.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Terhi Tolvanen, Meredith Turnbull.
Marker's Commentary
By virtue of an exquisite collection of bespoke wearable objects, ‘Gaia Blossom’ explores the struggle and dichotomy created by the impact of industrialisation on the natural world. The immensity and scale of this universal environmental issue is paradoxically reduced to an intricate, precise and detailed investigation. Metallic materials that typically characterise strength, weight and the industrial through their hard, cold and austere surfaces are tempered by an intentional use of natural objects and a delicate trace of lines crafted into fine wire mesh to echo the ephemeral and organic. An exemplary command of jewellery design is evident through the diverse handling of materials and techniques whilst simultaneously engaging the audience by the intricate nature of the work. Duality permeates all aspects of this work and codes the complex interplay between the natural and industrial worlds, ultimately placing the audience in tension.