Page 73 from: October 2013

73October 2013

study and be fascinated
with the materials and appre-
ciate the manner in which the
accessory was created,’ she says. There
is ample scope to wonder at the ‘crazy
stuff’ she favours. ‘Some of the strangest
objects I’ve used for my art are thumb-
tacks, recycled medical bottle caps and
medical electric rope that my dad
brought home little by little from the
hospital where he works – otherwise it
would have been tossed into the trash
or perhaps recycled,’ Hur says. She cro-
cheted these into contemporary jewel-
lery using fresh silver kitchen sponges.

In harmony
When asked if ‘green’ jewellery is a rare
pearl or a sensible use of what’s available,
Hur concludes: ‘Fashion, art and upcy-
cling can defi nitely come together har-
moniously – especially in this day and age.
And I will keep working with the same
materials until I run out of them, though
I hardly ever throw things out!’
www.michelleihur.com

‘As a jewellery maker and designer, I am excited to push the
boundaries of wearability in contemporary fashion by creating
post-apocalyptic-looking jewellery that is not quite for everyday
use,’ says Michelle Hur. The Korean-American artist’s ‘hardware-
inspired’ style calls to mind scenes from a futuristic adventure –
one infused with an equal dose of glamour and engineering.

‘ Green’ gems

As a recent graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD),
Michelle Hur first ‘fell in love’ with
unusual materials in her sophomore
year. What interests her to this day is
the element of surprise and unexpect-
ed beauty that scrap items have to
offer when used for decorative pur-
poses. The multitude of chains, screws,
zippers, paperclips and locks handled
by Hur over the years have all been
transformed once realigned or, actu-
ally, reinvented with an eye for detail.
For example, ugly rusty nails have
become ‘refi ned’ and leftover plastic
tubes have grown ‘bold’ in what Hur
describes as a ‘mix-and-match’ collage.
Her portfolio spans everything from
metal cuffs to dramatic shoulder pads
and elegant necklaces – the result of
plenty of searching, sketching and tin-
kering. ‘For me, jewel-
lery is wearable
3D art,’ Hur com-
ments. Though
very varied in
funct ion and
design, all

her individual pieces appear almost
enigmatic in the way they’ve been
assembled – like they might have
escaped from a movie set or secret
laboratory. Curiosity and creativity are
an ever-present theme across Hur’s
entire collection.

Something ‘magical’
‘I am instinctually drawn to mix-and-
match items that fi t well together both
visually and physically, connecting them
in unusual ways,’ the designer explains.
She most enjoys manipulating materials,
transforming and combining them in new
ways to ‘create something more magical
and elevated’, she adds. ‘Besides, they
make sense when all put together.’
To date, the piece Hur is ‘most proud of’
is the beltover skirt or dress which she
made from brass, key chains and copper

chain in 2012. ‘It is my favourite
because it is the biggest body
of jewellery I have created up
till now,’ she explains. ‘It was
probably also one of the
most labour-intensive and
time-consuming pieces.’
This dangling belt is ‘very

beautiful and simple in
pattern but elegant in
its draping and overall
shape of the body

when worn over a
skirt, for exam-

ple,’ the designer adds.
Seeing the metal objects
come together in such a
stylish way is all the
proof she needs to
dedicate herself fur-
ther to this scrap art
niche. ‘There is so
much potent ia l
when working with
common, everyday objects,’ Hur
declares. This is especially true with
looking at the belt which boasts many
colour tones and textures.
‘When you realise that most of the piece
is made of soldered key chains, you can
understand how much beauty there is
to be found in common, typically recy-
cled materials,’ the artist asserts. ‘You
see, the naturally darker parts of the
chains that were soldered and oxidised
look quite pretty because the top of the
piece begins in a brass-colour ball chain,
then changes into copper chain, then
oxidised darker soldered key chains.’

Fascination
Whether it’s a set of earrings or a robot-
ic reprise of a pair of regular suede
shoes, Hur carefully constructs the items
in an attempt to explore the possibilities
for ‘interaction with the human body’.
That’s why she wants more than for
people simply to wear her jewellery.
‘Ideally, I would like people to admire,

By Kirstin Linnenkoper Scrap Art

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