All tomorrow's jewelry (The Philippine Star)

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Updated October 14, 2009 12:00 AM MANILA, Philippines -

Jewelry artists Kristine Dee, Michelline Syjuco and Paul Syjuco are launching their collections of inspired pieces in the show “Triad: An Approach to Futurism,” which opens on Oct. 22 at Firma in Greenbelt 3. The show is presented in cooperation with Ayala Malls. Futurism comes naturally to these forward thinkers who always come up with progressive design but with a deep-seated respect for the past. Futurism for them is also a concern for the common good by doing things a little better along the way. And most importantly, it’s creating new things with imagination and creativity. No wonder then that for the opening reception, they even embarked on a creative collaboration with Ciçou Restaurant chef Cyrille Soenen who will create special desserts inspired by the artists’ collections.

The different design eras and paradigms expressed the future in different ways. The early Twenties to Forties envisioned a future rife with airplanes and flight as well as abstraction. Mid-century futurism contained visions of monorails and superhighways. There seemed to be a fixation on organic alien life forms, lasers, UFOs and space exploration in the Sixties and Seventies as well as parallel universes of mythical beings and objects in the Eighties. However, these “Retro-futurist” pegs aren’t exactly what the artists wanted to pay tribute to. It is the constant attempt to experiment, the pushing of the mind to create concepts of external objects not present to the senses. And while we all know that most concepts of the past didn’t quite make the cut, being relegated to archives at best, it is the spirit of creativity and resourcefulness that is held high. After all, a lot of our perceived realities today were long ago only considered fantasies.

For information, call Firma at 757-4009 telefax 757-4010, or e-mail firma2@vasia.com. Firma is at the ground floor of Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City.

Kristine Dee: Factoring in flux and finesse

The fantasies of industrial designer and jewelry artist Kristine Dee are images of a parallel universe from films like Star Wars Episode 2 and Aeon Flux, which influenced her latest body of work. Kristine explains, “Combining these with the future’s longing for peace and serenity, I am able to come up with pieces that are current, yet timeless in appeal. They allow the viewer to experience a feeling of lightness.” Kristine, who obtained her master’s degree in industrial design from The Pratt Institute in New York and studied Scandinavian furniture design at the Denmark Design School in Copenhagen, has had her works exhibited at the famed Manhattan Center in New York and at the Salone International Del Mobile International Furniture Fair in Milan. Her designs for the New York-based design consultancy firm Prime Studio have been used by, among others, Banana Republic, Polder, M&M’s, and The MoMa Store.

Michelline Syjuco: Future sense

Probably one of the most daring and avant-garde among today’s crop of jewelry designers, Michelline Syjuco considers her quirky work to be “wearable sculptures.” This comes as no surprise because she learned to sculpt at an early age and was exposed to the art world, thanks to her parents, famed experimentalists Cesare and Jean Marie Syjuco. Michelline’s unusual choice of materials and textures have been known to include cultivated rust, gnarly pearls, pointed steel studs, crushed tin cans, deep acetylene burns, bullet shells, and strange rocks from outer space. Definitely bordering on the blasphemous and edgy, Michelline’s take on futurism is more Flash Gordon than George Lucas, more sword and sorcery than outer space. “This is the staple I grew up with. Mad Max and Beastmaster were very important to me,” she says. Still, Michelline’s future looks auspicious. Her first solo exhibition “Armadillon” was a short-listed finalist in this year’s Ateneo Art Awards — a first for local jewelry design. “The jewelry I make is one of a kind. It’s a piece of my brain,” she explains. “I suppose it’s a little more expensive because of that.”

Paul Syjuco: Accessories for the day after

Paul Syjuco was exposed at an early age to jewelry designing through his family’s business. He is a graduate of the Gemological Institute of America, and has received training in pearl grading. He contributes articles on gem and jewelry matters to some of Manila’s most-widely circulated fashion magazines, and occasionally holds lectures and workshops on jewelry design. Paul’s current venture is Aum Jewels, a concept jewelry store located in TriNoma. Paul took the essence of futurism to create endless options and possibilities. He says, “I pegged period science fiction films like Metropolis and War of the Worlds as well as recent films like Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow for that elegant art deco feel. I also looked into space travel and deep space elements like orbits and nebulae, incorporating some soul into it, interplaying some pieces with jade Buddha carvings. Some designs are based on computers and their internal components like motherboards, microchips and schematics.”

Janina Dizon-Hoschka's and Michael Salientes' secret project if finally out! Launched last Saturday at Fully Booked High Street, the book aims to show Manila shoppers the great array of fabulous locally made products available but was not really in the shoppers' radars. I've been privileged enough to talk to some of the people featured in the book during the event and I have to tip my hat to the authors for finding (and insisting on featuring) such passionate individuals. Their efforts and outputs really define true luxury; producing products with impeccable quality and essence. This book has already set a precedent. And I'm glad to be part of it. My feature below:

I cannot wait for the next issue to come out. Get yourself a copy now.

What a way to end the year! A Happy Christmas to everyone! Definitely more posts to come in 2009.

Every year Solitaire, a regional gems and fine jewelry magazine and sister publication of Tatler, publishes a list of South East Asia's notable jewelers in a special directory called Brilliant Jewellers. Aum Jewels is grateful to be part of this year's edition. Its bundled with the December-January issue of Solitaire, available at magazine stands now.

Below is the short write-up:

Humbled to be in great company.