Cristina Dias

Uses silicone over wire forms to create these beautiful

and colourful brooches, bangles and neck pieces. The brooches have a magnet embedded in them and another magnetic piece so that it can be magnetically attached to the body.

Microscopy

For my project I'm looking at "disease under the microscope" it's amazing how something so destructive can actually look so (sorry to be corny but..) beautiful close up. The idea is that by using disease as inspiration for jewellery it creates a contrast between the ugly (disease) and the beautiful (jewellery).

WHAT IF...Meat could be grown in laboratories without harming animals?

Below, a piece of meat grown in a lab, the type and the shape is controlled. I honestly don't what to think...I feel almost in awe of the people who created it, for their sheer intelligence, and the fact that they are searching for an alternative to killing animals but on the other hand...I really don't think I could force myself to eat it, it really doesn't look very appetising.

The meat is grown from DNA animals but what implications does this have for the future? where will the limits be? Could you eat your pet? your best friend? or even yourself?

WHAT IF...Jimmy Carter had been re-elected, would the world be greener?

In an alternate United States set in the 1980s, where Ronald Reagan never happened, the Golden Institute for Energy was the world's premier think tank for alternative energies.

From weather modification and lightning harvesting to using the freeway system as a source of power, the Institute's ambitions were grand and their impact on American life significant. How might its legacy offer a fresh perspective on our present challenges in regard to the environment?

WHAT IF...domestic ecosystems produced our food

What if exhibition in Dublin, invited designers to design products for hypothetical futures. Below is an ecosystem designed for the home.

I can't decide whether this is a good idea or not...on one hand, we would be more self sufficient, on the other it could seriously damage the economy and eliminate the need for farmers. Either way...it is a little bit genius.

Karin Seufert

2009 - necklace, PVC, rubber band
Brooch, china, pom, silver, steel
2008 - button, PVC, artificial leather, button, photo

Lynne Kirstin Murray

Ring Squid Linguini, 2007 black nylon rapid prototype, Tahitian pearl, 18ct gold.
Tahitian Pearl Ring, 2007 black nylon rapid prototype, Tahitian pearl. Murray uses rapid prototyping to create these unusual forms. The pears and gold make the unusual black forms come to life and add value.

Dongchun Lee

Dongchun uses latex in his work, something I am also considering exploring within my 10 week projects. The ugly brown colour with the elegant leaf shape creates a contrast between the ugly and the beautiful.

Sun-Kyoung Kim

Brooch - roch crystal, wood, steel, silver. I think the wood must be the white section of this brooch which works really well in contrast with the bright pink rock crystal.
Brooch - cement, smoky quartz, star ruby, silver. Cement used as though a precious material.

Leonor Hipolito

This brooch resembles an organ of some sort, possibly a stomach? Silver and enamel.
Resembling some sort of plant? Simple but very beautiful, lace sandwiched between sheets of silver.

Ute Eitzenhofer

The way Eitzenhofer chooses to set his stones in plastics seem to question the aesthetics of value in his pieces and challenges the way silver and goldsmiths handle their materials in such a meticulous manner.

Yu-Chun Chen

I love this "Fish in a Tree" brooch. Definitely absurd! I like how Yu-Chun Chen mixes her medias into seemingly random compositions.

Cheryl Eve

http://cheryleve.com/artwork/428197_Branches.html

Laminates work onto body so that piece can be worn on the skin with no attachment.

The Beautiful and the Absurd

We have just been briefed on our final 2nd year project - the Beautiful and the Absurd. I have created this blog to keep track of my research and publish my pieces. Ela Bauer uses layers of silicone and rubber to create these bizarre, fleshy pieces which resemble blood vessels and other parts of the human anatomy.