Dezeen Magazine

Continuation of Embracing Touch series

Marija Puipaité's Embracing Touch jewellery "puddles" on the body

This collection of jewellery by Lithuanian designer Marija Puipaité is sculpted to perfectly fit the curves and contours of the body.

Each of the Embracing Touch pieces fits closely to specific parts, including around the collarbone, the wrist and, less conventionally, in the hollow between the shoulder blades.

Continuation of Embracing Touch series

Puipaité describes the work as "silver and bronze puddles" that "ripple on body landscapes".

The pieces are an extension of a graduate project she created while studying at Design Academy Eindhoven. The designer used the curves of her legs, placed in different positions, to form sculptural seating that fitted perfectly to the form of the body.

Puipaité has continued to experiment with various materials, including ceramics and glass, until turning her attention to jewellery and the "intimate connections" it offers.

Continuation of Embracing Touch series

"It goes straight on the body and serves to emphasise or function as everyday armour," the designer told Dezeen.

"I take the human body as a tool, and a reason for forms and their function to appear," she added "I'm taking the design process as a game, and trying different ways to exploit the body."

Continuation of Embracing Touch series

Puipaité made intuitive decisions about which body parts to focus on, choosing angular areas, as well as focusing on places that allow for softer shapes.

Each piece is made using wax plates, which are placed straight onto the body to cast the shape. The wax is then sent for casting before the final piece is sanded and polished.

Continuation of Embracing Touch series

This method allows jewellery to be individual customised, although according to the designer different bodies share "surprisingly" similar shapes.

She's also researching the future possibilities of creating jewellery from digital scans of people's bodies.

Continuation of Embracing Touch series

"I chose subjectively beautiful places," added the designer. "I let myself pick without reasoning, and the rest has to be naturally given by the body."

The Embracing Touch jewellery was shown during Dutch Design Week 2016.

Photography is by Vytautas Narkevičius.

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Continuation of Embracing Touch series
Continuation of Embracing Touch series
Continuation of Embracing Touch series
Continuation of Embracing Touch series
Continuation of Embracing Touch series
Continuation of Embracing Touch series