Linfeng Yu

Linfeng Yu works with the concept of ‘traces’. He finds there are two meanings of the word ‘trace’. The first is relating to time visibly, such as rust, development in cities or new life. A lot of human activity will leave some form of trace. The other meaning of ‘trace’ is less visible, relating to memory and emotion. Both visible and invisible traces can interlink with each other to create something unique.

Linfeng’s inspiration comes from dual aspects – urban and natural elements. Some may think these inspirations to be contradictory, however, he finds that they can be dependent and co-exist with each other (such as a landscaped garden), and his work plays with this idea. He uses jewellery as a medium to combine both urban and natural elements together, also including Ikebana Taoism within his philosophy and aesthetics.

The pieces in the ‘Trace’ collection combine three different materials – concrete, metal and wood. Linfeng tries to find a balance between artificial and natural outcomes, with each material offering its own narrative. Geometrical sheet metal and concrete represent an urban and artificial aspect, whilst the organic textures from cast metal and wood imply the more natural side to the word ‘trace’. This collection’s aim is to strike a balance between the artificial and natural. Linfeng hopes the pieces will remind wearers of the way in which nature can be perfectly balanced with the urban and artificial.

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