We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer about their original and creative design work. is an award-winning creative designer, that makes our world a better place with their original works.
("") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work . Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
: The “I Am Hydrogen” concept is inspired by the idea that everything in the Universe began as hydrogen, the basic building block of all matter. This idea is presented within the context of the neoplatonic philosophy of macrocosm and microcosm.
: The aspect I focused on the most was applying the “phyllotaxis” pattern to the surface of a torus. I wanted to present the concept of “Macrocosm and Microcosm”, suggesting that the same patterns were present throughout all levels of reality and the the cosmos.
: This particular piece is apart of a series that has been building for several years. This is the first time I have used the reflective materials and plan to continue to find ways to exploit its brilliant properties.
: The concept started being developed in 2011, withe the first piece produced the following year. That being said, months of work went into the design alone.
: This particular design was a personal project. It is an extension of my longstanding fascination with the Golden Ratio, and something I had envisioned for years before actually setting out to make it.
: While all of the jewellery I produce requires an element of design, I work as a jewellery artist, creating pieces for the purpose of expression, rather than solely for commercial reasons. I do not currently work with any companies, or sell my designs. That is not to say that I won’t design for a company in the future, but as it stands my work is all in house.
: This particular piece is part of a series and therefore was influenced by the preceding pieces in that series. The rest of the pieces can be seen on our website, www.atelierhg.com
: My target customer for a design like this would be a collector looking for a special piece. This is a unique handmade piece of jewellery that you won’t find elsewhere.
: This design uses a highly reflective thread to produce the pattern on the torus. When lit from certain angle, the material illuminates in a brilliant flash.
: The name comes from a song that I have always loved of the same title. The song was definitely instrumental in my creative process. While I am sure it means different things to different people, to me it is all about the creation of the elements and life itself from the “Primordial Soup” that existed shortly after the big bang and the period known as “Ionization”.
: Model making was the design tool that served me the most through the course of the project. There are times when trial and error is the best way to find the right solution.
: I am quite partial to the reflective “phyllotaxis” pattern. I previously made a version of this piece that “glows in the dark”, but the effect created by the pattern on “I Am Hydrogen” when hit by direct light is just amazing. When I have exhibited this piece previously, people are constantly taking pictures with their cellphones because of the effect the camera flash has with the thread in the photos.
: My wife and partner Jennifer worked on this project with me. I wanted to use a hand braided silk for the necklace, and Jennifer is very talented at the traditional Japanese Kumihimo braiding technique.
: While I do use technology in my work, this project was rooted in classical technique. The metalwork was done entirely by hammer, and the embellishments used were all applied by hand.
: I have been participating in design competitions for a number of years. What I liked about the A’ Awards was that it was a cross-discipline platform for design, bringing together the best and brightest from around the world. This type of competition is what challenges, inspires and pushes artists and designers to produce their very best work every year.
