Dezeen Magazine

The Living Points Structure jewellery covers limbs in porcupine-like spines

Translucent tendrils protruding from these body adornments by Polish designer Ewa Sliwinska amplify small movements made by the wearer (+ movie).

The Living Points Structure by Ewa Sliwinska

Jewellery pieces in Ewa Sliwinska's The Living Points Structure collection are made from elasticated PVC strips, which hold together rows of transparent plastic threads to look like curled porcupine-like spines.

"The constructions are designed to be worn on the back or a shin, and each object is formed with dozens of elements practically levitating close to the body, responding to each body movement with vibrations adjusting to its speed and strength," Sliwinska told Dezeen.

The Living Points Structure by Ewa Sliwinska

The spines are decorated with small steel cylinders on the ends, which weight and balance the individual strands.

The Living Points Structure by Ewa Sliwinska

Pieces can be worn on the shins, thighs, arms or back – some on multiple body parts thanks to the elastic mounts.

The structures are designed to bounce and quiver at the slightest movement of the wearer, amplifying small gestures.

The Living Points Structure by Ewa Sliwinska

"By wearing the designed objects one does not simply decorate the body, but rather extend it both in the context of multidimensional shape and activity – the movement is given a new visual representation," said Sliwinska.

The project was initiated when Sliwinska began considering how jewellery might be worn in the future during her studies the University of Fine Arts, Poznan.

The Living Points Structure by Ewa Sliwinska

"My challenge was to imagine how people will decorate their bodies in 100 years from now," Sliwinska told Dezeen.

"I came up with an idea that people will not wear jewellery on their bodies – instead, the decorative objects will levitate and orbit around them just like flames of fire, showing the emotional condition of the owners."

The Living Points Structure by Ewa Sliwinska

She then decided to challenge the way current adornments are designed for a small number of select body parts.

"Instead of one dominative static shape, eg to wear on your finger, I made a point of reference in a flock of birds or a school of fish and started to study human body in the search of areas unused for wearing jewellery."

The Living Points Structure by Ewa Sliwinska

Sliwinska completed the project for her thesis for the Design MA at the University of Fine Arts.

"During the two years of conceptual work I rendered an infinite number of sketches, dozens of prototypes and body casts, experimented with more than 10 different materials," she said.