Dingyuan Liu

'The 25th Hour'

Jewellery and Silversmithing - BA (Hons)

School of Design

dingyuanliu@outlook.com

Dingyuan Liu Jewellery Website

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Press pack.pdf (359.01 KB)

Kinetic moon phases signet ring ( Model shot )

Bio

I believe every piece of handmade jewellery is just like a thumbprint, it is special and unique.

Material is the body of the jewellery, and jewellery making is not limited to specific materials. Working on a variety of materials has allowed me to have more flexibility when I am designing pieces. Different materials can be used to create works by using various techniques which affect the visual expression of the work, as well as the contextual background of the work.

My inspiration comes from the objects around me, and fun or troubling things that happen in life. Each of my pieces is carefully thought out and created, and there are always stories behind them. I also realized jewellery can be more than just a decorative piece, it can be more interactive, playful as well as genderless and would like the wearer to feel the joy of the jewellery.

Model shot with the kinetic moon phase signet ring

'The 25th Hour' collection

The name of the collection is 'The 25th Hour'. A day has 24 hours, and 'The 25th hour' is a representation of the imaginary world outside of the actual hours in a day. As I'm imagining what would happen if I escaped the Earth and Covid and went to live on another planet.

There are 3 series in this project, from heavy to lightweight jewellery. Materials and techniques were carefully selected and used for representing the background story. This project was inspired by bike, moon, and my experience during the pandemic lockdown which delved into the imagination. Back to the lockdown time in the summer of 2020. Restrictions, rules of travel, and visiting friends triggered my fantasy of going out, it made me create a utopia in my imagination. I was thinking, except walking, what is the safest vehicle for traveling around? When is the safest time for going outside that could let me avoid people? What happens if we escape somewhere with no people or escape to another planet?

I taught myself how to ride a bike again at the outdoor car park at night, as well as walk around in different places. Once, on random night trips to Calton Hill, I found a new habit of observing the moon phases. It was a strange situation in my life, therefore, I wish to document it in a jewellery collection form, by combining the elements of the bicycle and the moon to create a series of jewels to commemorate my reality and fantasy world at the time.