Weighting Feathers
Collection:CSM Museum & Study Collection
Date: 2019
Artist: Jing Jiang; 姜晶
Dimensions:
12 × 63 mm (1.2 × 6.3 cm) - earring is 63mm in diameter with a 12mm pin. No butterfly was provided with the earring.
Medium: Goose feathers and brass
Object number: J.2019.110.CC
DescriptionEarring by Jing Jiang made from gooes feathers using a traditional technique of inlaying feather quills. Traditionally the technique uses Kingfisher feathers, but Jiang has made a more sustainable version by using feathers which are waste products from other industries. Turning waste into jewellery.
Description of the project by the designer:
Weighting Feathers, 2019
Work Description:
This collection is a thorough exploration of the complex traditional technique of Tian Tsui, which utilizes kingfisher feathers as inlay for fine art objects and adornments, and the beauty of feather itself. Using physical sense as the medium, I tried to sculpt my designs so as to bring together the refinement of traditional Chinese craftsmanship and the minimal aesthetics of western modernism.
The delicate bird feathers – from various birds rather than kingfisher – play visual tricks, confounding our expectations. It's not about what we see at first glance: something more is waiting to be discovered. Every piece is intended to arouse people’s curiosity towards the material, questioning: what is it that I am looking at? In this collection, the feather is also acting as a metaphor to the declining world of fine craftsmenship, where beauty is often unnoticed and undervalued. But I believe that eventually, soft delicacy will transform into mightiness.
In addition to the technique investigation, this project is also developing a new approach towards sustainability. The store in which I bought the feathers from, the Feather Factory, have been sourcing the material from farms and kitchens. The poultry feathers they use would ordinarily be treated as a waste product and therefore thrown away without use. By replacing the endangered kingfisher’s feathers to discarded goose and turkey feathers, I am trying to develop the traditional Tian Tsui technique in a more sustainable contemporary way.
Publications: 2019, “SO MINT! Weighting Feathers by Jing Jiang”, Current Obsession 2019, “The Next Generation”, Crafts Magazine, Sep/Oct Issue 2019
Artist Biography:
London based Chinese jewellery artist Jing Jiang is a recent graduate from the BA Jewellery Design Course at Central Saint Martins and about to further her study at the Royal College of Art. Being born and raised in Italy, following years of study in China and the UK, she has developed a unique perception of art and life by embracing the diversity of the Western and Asian cultures. Her graduate collection “Weighting Feathers” has been awarded the Theo Fennel Prize for “Best Technical Achievement”; the Annoushka Graduate Award for ‘Outstanding Design’’; and the “Excellence in Metal Work Prize 2019” from the Worshipful company of Tinplate Workers.
Artist Statement: Contemporary design in my perception is the outcome of the creative party breaking through the limitations of the common sense, challenging what people used to believe, and making unexpected changes upon existing things. I believe that creativity and innovation are the key aspects of future design, however, it is commonly seen that what is novel one year will be homogenous the next. I want to break the borders of jewellery by creating something that would be truly lasting and needed - perhaps through the investigation and manipulation of traditional crafts with the engagement of new technologies and materials. I believe that the combination of the two aspects is what should be really considered and valued.
Description of the project by the designer:
Weighting Feathers, 2019
Work Description:
This collection is a thorough exploration of the complex traditional technique of Tian Tsui, which utilizes kingfisher feathers as inlay for fine art objects and adornments, and the beauty of feather itself. Using physical sense as the medium, I tried to sculpt my designs so as to bring together the refinement of traditional Chinese craftsmanship and the minimal aesthetics of western modernism.
The delicate bird feathers – from various birds rather than kingfisher – play visual tricks, confounding our expectations. It's not about what we see at first glance: something more is waiting to be discovered. Every piece is intended to arouse people’s curiosity towards the material, questioning: what is it that I am looking at? In this collection, the feather is also acting as a metaphor to the declining world of fine craftsmenship, where beauty is often unnoticed and undervalued. But I believe that eventually, soft delicacy will transform into mightiness.
In addition to the technique investigation, this project is also developing a new approach towards sustainability. The store in which I bought the feathers from, the Feather Factory, have been sourcing the material from farms and kitchens. The poultry feathers they use would ordinarily be treated as a waste product and therefore thrown away without use. By replacing the endangered kingfisher’s feathers to discarded goose and turkey feathers, I am trying to develop the traditional Tian Tsui technique in a more sustainable contemporary way.
Publications: 2019, “SO MINT! Weighting Feathers by Jing Jiang”, Current Obsession 2019, “The Next Generation”, Crafts Magazine, Sep/Oct Issue 2019
Artist Biography:
London based Chinese jewellery artist Jing Jiang is a recent graduate from the BA Jewellery Design Course at Central Saint Martins and about to further her study at the Royal College of Art. Being born and raised in Italy, following years of study in China and the UK, she has developed a unique perception of art and life by embracing the diversity of the Western and Asian cultures. Her graduate collection “Weighting Feathers” has been awarded the Theo Fennel Prize for “Best Technical Achievement”; the Annoushka Graduate Award for ‘Outstanding Design’’; and the “Excellence in Metal Work Prize 2019” from the Worshipful company of Tinplate Workers.
Artist Statement: Contemporary design in my perception is the outcome of the creative party breaking through the limitations of the common sense, challenging what people used to believe, and making unexpected changes upon existing things. I believe that creativity and innovation are the key aspects of future design, however, it is commonly seen that what is novel one year will be homogenous the next. I want to break the borders of jewellery by creating something that would be truly lasting and needed - perhaps through the investigation and manipulation of traditional crafts with the engagement of new technologies and materials. I believe that the combination of the two aspects is what should be really considered and valued.