The annual Goldsmiths Fair of jewellery and silverware usually has a few young Korean jewellers displaying their latest designs. This year they seemed to be outnumbered by the Japanese, but it was good to see Misun Won return for now her fourth appearance at this prestigious show.
Misun Won at the Goldsmiths Fair on 4 October 2013
Despite the depressing economic times, the livery hall was seeing plenty of activity, and as usual the range and quality of the work on show was well worth the entry price even if you were not wanting to buy anything. But many were.
Misun’s intricate patterns of interlocking disks are described in the exhibition’s catalogue:
Misun Won’s collections reflect her inspiration from geometrical composition of Korean traditional patchwork, Jogakpo.
She wants to associate the beauty of the playful rhythmical structure with her jewellery. She employs the fractal geometry in order to analyse the complex compositions of Jogakpo. Her in-depth study in fractal geometry and Jogakpo helps her to ctraete dynamic structures for her collections. The act of imbuing auspicious qualities within her jewellery parallels the wish of ancient Korean housewives, who made Jogakpo for their family members. Collections include necklaces, brooches and earrings, all made from one sheet of silver by hand, using traditional jewellery techniques in combination with Keumboo (23.5 ct gold foil), precious and semi-precious gemstones and silk. Misun exhibits her jewellery internationally.
The Goldsmiths Fair runs for two weeks, with each week having a different set of 90 designers. Misun Won was in the second week, and despite the fair’s regular slot in the City’s calendar it managed to catch me by surprise this year, which meant that I missed Hee Young Kim’s work in the first week. But here’s an introduction to her work from the catalogue:
Central St Martins’ graduate Hee Young Kim has developed her previous collection, Arrangement and Satisfaction, to continue to explore the small world of hidden internal spaces. To satisfy her innate creativity, she has constructed shapes from several layers, which transform these curious hidden spaces into unexpected scenes for the wearer.
Each piece is made with straight lines, clean joints and 90° angles for a compact and controlled appearance. With these understated designs, Hee attempts to organise this hidden world, as if looking at a floor plan.
