Jie Hugh Guan

I have trained in jewellery design and related products for the past four years; I have always enjoyed exploring the arts, with a specific interest in drawing and painting. Taking complex ideas and transforming them into simple artworks is a key driving concept behind my designs.

In the first year of my degree, I was encouraged to be open minded, using a wide range of different materials and experimenting with their properties. This allowed me to investigate my personal style as an artist and discover which materials I would prefer to incorporate into my pieces.

The first time I made use of concrete was in the second year of my degree. I was able to explore and develop concrete for the following two years, and began to understand the ‘charm’ of concrete. This liquid stone bends to my will and can be formed easily as I see fit; both through casting, carving and spray painting. Concrete is a compound material, being made up of both natural and manmade elements, and is commonly used across disciplines including architecture, jewellery and product design.

My inspiration comes from architecture, brutalism being a movement I admire. The massive, bold structures last over time and maintain their beauty even through age. I assimilated the brutalist elements and combined them with my own personal development, transforming them into contemporary jewellery. I hope to help break the stereotype of jewellery just being associated with precious metals and gemstones. It is my wish that the brutalist architectural style can be related to human bodies to produce beautiful wearable pieces, so that this controversial architectural style with a stigma of being ‘ugly’ can be reexamined and understood fully.

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