ron arad rocks! at louisa guinness showcases the designer's handmade jewellery

ron arad rocks! at louisa guinness showcases the designer’s handmade jewellery

all images courtesy of louisa guinness

designer ron arad is internationally known for reinventing everyday objects, his exhibition ron arad rocks! at louisa guinness gallery however, takes a more luxurious turn with a series of hand made jewellery. the space showcases a culmination of the artist’s most recent work, focusing on three separate projects; rocks, naja and hot ingo. like his large-scale work, each project combines creative, material innovation, with the artist’s inviolable sense of humour. the collection includes necklaces, bracelets and earrings made from silicon, laser sintered polyamide, quartz, gold and silver.

rocks necklace (1)

far from the precious stones the title suggests, arad’s rocks series are made from solid silicon. though the material is soft and pliable to the touch, each piece appears heavy and dangerously jagged; the effect is of bare shards of glass hanging a breath from the wearer’s skin. not until the viewer has the piece in their hands are they able to detect arad’s sophisticated manipulation of silicon. far from smashing and threading glass, he chips away at a plain of prepared silicon, shaving each fragment off.

the impression of opaque or coloured glass is created by dropping lengths of coloured or graphically patterned silk into the silicon, adding an ingenious layer to the optical illusion. sculpted by the hands of the maker each work is unique varying in shape, color and form.

rocks necklace (2)

ron arad is celebrated for his fluid, curvaceous style, crafting deceptively simple, highly skilled pieces from materials such as aluminium, bronze and steel. arad’s work consistently reinvents the everyday object, transforming it into something daring, witty and provocative. bookshelves wind their way up walls, tables curve up corners, chairs unravel like ribbon, all retaining their essential function while questioning their perceived limitations.

this energy is demonstrated in ron’s earrings which he based on his light ‘hot ingo’. the polyamide spiral wrapped around a long rod has an ever-changing diameter. either recoiling into a tight small ball or concertinaing out to span the length of the rod, these earrings can be distorted into a series of variations depending on individual style and taste.

rocks bracelet (1)

naja, the final series in the collection, is a magnifying glass pendant made of a solid quartz lens, surrounded by a serpentine coil of silver or vermeil. the work is named after the distinctive “be-spectacled” markings on the hood of a naja cobra. as a whole, the jewellery collection collectively assert a daring, fearless energy which is expressed within each jagged stroke and hypnotising swirl.

rock earrings (2) & (3)