“I see my work as a sculpture you can put yourself inside,” says Thai jewelry maker Jittrakarn Bunterngpiboon. As an artist with a background in design, she feels the need for her work to have some sort of functionality or it doesn’t satisfy her. To appease that deep urge, she makes wearable art. Sleek, gleaming angles rest weightlessly on the wearer, transporting them to an imaginary future. Looping circles orbit a head or shoulder, infinity mirrors expose and warp the eyes, and circular blades seemingly slice through the soul.
“我的作品是可以穿上身的雕塑，”泰国珠宝设计艺术家 Jittrakarn Bunterngpiboon 说。对于设计专业出身的她来说，具备一定功能用途的作品才算是合格的创作。带着这一理念，她打造出自己独具一格的可穿戴艺术。她手下的珠宝首饰设计简约俐落，拥有轻盈的科技感。从环绕于头部和肩膀的圆环、折射双眸的镜像以及质问灵魂的圆形刀片，仿佛佩戴这些首饰，便可穿越未来。
Bunterngpiboon views her jewelry as a form of storytelling, a recollection of her younger years spent buried in manga comics and anime like Ghost In The Shell or Altered Carbon. “When I read, I put myself into the character’s place. I feel like I can be anything, there are no limits.” The pieces even resemble otaku fashion mixed with a touch of Asian science fiction vibes.
Jittrakarn 把珠宝当作一种叙述方式，透过作品，《攻壳机动队》和《副本》等她酷爱的漫画和动画世界浮于眼前。“看漫画时，我总会把自己代入漫画角色”，她以漫画为灵感进行创作，让一部分作品散发出御宅族天花乱坠般的奇想，同时又渗透了亚洲科幻故事的元素。
She wanted to be a manga artist as a kid, but to compromise with her parents she studied industrial design instead. Jewelry making was an elective at her university, and the freedom to design without limits at these classes captured her imagination. That ability to start with no direction and figure out where she’s going along the way is at the core of her creative process: “I start with an idea about the shape and form, then explore materials to achieve what I’m looking for. The story comes later.”
小时候，她梦想成为一名漫画家，但出于对父母的妥协，她转而修读了工业设计专业。大学的时候，她选修了珠宝设计课程，并深陷其中。在创作初期，Jittrakarn 并没有明确方向，而是慢慢摸索自己创作的核心，“通常是先有想法和草图轮廓，再在这个基础上去探索材料，最终打造出我想要的作品，让作品的故事性自陈其说。”
Prior to attending jewelry classes, she had no interest in fashion. This was an unexpected pivot for Bunterngpiboon. “I don’t dress up or even wear jewelry; I never understood people who wore it,” she laughs. “I want people to see my jewelry as culture or art.” But she’s also started making the effort to appeal to the masses, with a brand that carries more everyday-appropriate accessories. “Those pieces are much more simple, smaller things with brass, crystal, and synthetic stones compared to the stuff I’m known for.” Her art-driven jewelry is most popular with stylists, who use them for television shows or for celebrities and singers, which in turn promotes her brand.
在参加珠宝设计课程之前，Jittrakarn 其实对时尚并不感冒，这对她来说是一个意想不到的转折点。“我不喜欢打扮，甚至从不佩戴首饰，并不能理解时尚的意义，”她笑着说，“我希望人们能把我的珠宝作品当作一种文化或艺术来看待。”
但不得不承认，如今的她已经跻身于当地时尚圈内，为了让作品的受众面更广，她在品牌中推出了更多适合日常佩戴的配饰。“与我之前的作品相比，这些作品更简易，更小巧，采用黄铜、水晶和人造宝石来制作。”
她的艺术风格珠宝最受造型师们的青睐，一些作品被用来给电视节目上的名人和歌手造型。而这也能反向为品牌带来推广效益。
Originally, Bunterngpiboon’s style was more traditionally feminine, with fairy tale and vintage references. But when she started using 3D programs like Rhino, sharp edges and a futuristic aesthetic began to take hold. The bigger, sculptural headpieces are made with 3D printers. New features she’s discovered within Rhino have inspired her to consider the possibility of creating horror-themed, organic designs.
其实 Jittrakarn 的早期风格更倾向于具有当地特色的传统女性气质作品，揉合各类童话故事和复古元素。但当她开始接触 Rhino 等 3D 造型软件之后，她的作品也逐渐发生转变，锐利的线条设计与未来主义的美学风格开始显现。她用 3D 打印机制作大体积类雕塑头饰。而 3D 打印软件也为她带来恐怖、有机感设计的可能性。
Now that she’s an established designer, Bunterngpiboon gives lectures at the university she attended. One of the lessons she tries to impress on the students is one she never took to heart when she was still a student: you can start with your passion. “Design students want to save the world, but you can be selfish,” she argues. “Your designs can be useless when you start, as long as you truly have passion. It can just be fun or silly. It will lead somewhere eventually.”
She breaks down the three values to consider when beginning a design: that it be good for the environment, support your local people, or promote your local culture. Environmental, social, and cultural. “But I think you can be freer than that, it’s restricting. When you create something new and unique that the whole world notices, that adds to the culture anyway.”
现在，成为资深设计师的 Jittrakarn 回到大学母校里授课。她希望让学生明白一个自己曾在学生时代忽视的道理：从个人的激情出发设计。她说：“设计专业的学生总想着要拯救世界，但其实我们可以自我一点。刚起步时，即使你的设计毫无用处也没关系，重要的是你对设计充满热情。你的作品可以是有趣的，也可以毫无用处，但你可以在这个基础上逐渐琢磨出理想的作品。”
她指出，在开始设计前，要从三个价值观开始考虑：对环境有益、扶持当地人、推广当地文化。围绕环境、社会和文化开展。“不过，也可以更自由的方式进行设计。新颖的理念和设计可以吸引到足够眼球，这当然对文化的推广带来积极的作用。”
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Contributor: Mike Steyels
Chinese Translation: Olivia Li
