DESIGN NAME: Butterfly
PRIMARY FUNCTION: Brooch
INSPIRATION: This piece was inspired by Morpho Rhetenor Helena Butterflies dancing in the air. Through her encounter with the threads for making Obi, Sayoko was motivated to create lifelike, fully 3D butterflies, using threads that have never been used in the embroidery industry before.
UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This hand-crafted jewelry item is a wearable art that may be worn as an accessory or even displayed at home. Using the double-sided 3D embroidery technique with single strand, Sayoko could reproduce its thin and shiny wings, resulting in a lifelike 3D butterfly with form-changeable wings. The genuine gold and platinum threads used for this piece are produced and used in making traditional Japanese sashes, or Obi. They are so hard that until now, they have never been used in the embroidery industry.
OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: After placing it on your outfit or ring, by slightly pulling it toward its bottom, its body works as a stopper. Then change its form of wings as you like.
PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: This project started in June 2021 and finished in December 2021 in Chiba, Japan.
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PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: Technique used: Double-Sided 3D Embroidery technique, which is the original technique of the artist. Materials: 24K gold thread, 99.9 percent platinum thread, melee diamonds, platinum collets and prongs, lame yarn, wires, and 18K gold brooch pin.
SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: Product
Width 80mm x Depth 70mm x Height 40mm, Weight: 7g. The piece comes in a box.
Package
Width 217mm x Depth 219mm x Height 40mm, Total Weight (product with box): 420g.
TAGS: embroidery, double-sided 3D embroidery, art jewelry, Japanese design, butterfly, brooch
RESEARCH ABSTRACT: Fluttering butterfly wings captivate the eye; their shape and pattern are truly art in motion. Replicating the look and movement of their wings was essential to the success of this project. To do this, Sayoko analyzed a large number of butterflies on the Internet to ensure natural appearance of the work, including the forms, movement, and texture of the wings. After selecting suitable materials and experimenting with stitching methods, she created a new approach that resulted in a lifelike 3D appearance.
CHALLENGE: First, controlling force was a key to produce this work. The platinum and gold threads used are so hard that they require more force to stitch than conventional ones. Yet, they are likely to break when too much force is applied. Second, stitching the patterns of wings symmetrically by hand was strenuous and required intensely focused and meticulous work. Lastly, intense efforts were made to invent a unique wiring technology to make them firmly attached to the outfit when going out.
ADDED DATE: 2021-12-23 02:25:28
TEAM MEMBERS (3) : Fukumi Tadaishi, Atsushi Inoue and Fumiko Murakami
IMAGE CREDITS: Sayoko Kitai, 2021.
PATENTS/COPYRIGHTS: Rittai-Shishyuu Sayoko (1999) Sayoko Kitai
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