Memory + Travel: Pripyat, Ukraine

MEMORY + TRAVEL: Pripyat, ukraine (2017)

As the Earth shifts and molds beneath us, it beckons us to explore its landscapes and immerse ourselves in its diverse cultures. Our experiences with these places become memories—precious and fleeting, fading with time. Similarly, the places themselves, can change and eventually be forgotten. To preserve these moments, much like the Victorian mourning jewelry, I seek to capture these fleeting impressions in wearable art. This jewelry set is part of an ongoing series that explores the ephemeral nature of memory, sentimentality, and conservation; abstractly represented through topographic forms.

Using a combination of traditional metal fabrication and new technology, I took patterns found in topographic maps of abandoned city of Pripyat, Ukraine and proceeded to replicate, dissect, and rearrange them so that the shapes became a dynamic accumulation of form. These objects are made of a variety of materials that may include hand cut brass, silver, powdercoat, steel, and semi- precious stones. The laser engravings on the powdercoat are of those same topographic shapes.