Poppy Ring by Britta Schwalm

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DESIGN DETAILS

DESIGN NAME:
Poppy

PRIMARY FUNCTION:
Ring

INSPIRATION:
In 2021 a German general had to lead the withdrawal of the German soldiers in Kabul in Afghanistan. In spite of all the chaos he had to face, he managed very well and saved as many lives as possible. To honor his commitment a reward was offered by the Presseclub Hannover. Because of this I started to think how to make the pressure of this difficult situation for all these women and men visible and touchable.

UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Poppy is airy, but this ring is solid gold: heavy and mighty. It is made of 585 yellow gold and is shiny and smooth on the inside of the ring, yet rough and pervious at the outside. The feeling while wearing it is unique, it is comfortable while the contact to all the poppyseeds is uncommon.

OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION:
The ring is made by wax. This wax model was totally covered by Poppyseed. And the wax poppy ring was cast in 585 gold. After that I pressed the ring in a hydraulic press to get the shape of the ring. Through pressing the solid ring in the new form, the poppyseeds at the rim were flattened and became more unified than single seeds. In the middle of the ring the individual seeds were unharmed. Together they form a dynamic yet harmonic surface. This was what I wanted to symbolize: Pressure made human individuals appear as a uniform mass.

PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION:
Poppy was cast, pressed and sanded in autumn 2021. From first attempts with wax and seeds to the finished product it took about 4 weeks. Located was the project in Langen near Frankfurt.

PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY:
To communicate the hash contrast between having a place on an aircraft or not; I wanted to have a contrast on the surface of the Ring. One side should be smooth, shiny and bright, the other side rough, frosted and porous. To get the effect I experimented with seeds. Poppyseed was perfect. Though the ring was quite hard to wear, as rough as it was. So I put it in a hydraulic press to get the shape and surface I wanted.

SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES:
Ring: Diameter app. 22 mm x 10 mm

TAGS:
Ring, poppy, seed, Kabul, war

RESEARCH ABSTRACT:
The disaster of the ending of the operations in Afghanistan was shared in all newspapers and TV-news. So the research was not difficult. Stepping a little aside to transfer the theme was the challenge. But poppyseeds (not opium) were the perfect symbol for a faceless crowd. And a seed holds the promise for having a future.

CHALLENGE:
The pictures of people handing babies to foreign soldiers came very close to me. I had to think for a while to find an abstract symbol that work out well for a ring that could be given to a general as a reward to honor an order.

ADDED DATE:
2022-02-27 20:58:04

TEAM MEMBERS (1) :

IMAGE CREDITS:
Frank Vocke, Ralph Keller

CLIENT/STUDIO/BRAND DETAILS

NAME:
BrittasSchmiede

PROFILE:
Brittas Schmiede is a goldsmith-studio specialised to custom-made jewellery of very high quality. All designs are unique and elaborated together with - or especial for the customer. sometimes the materials are given by the customers to up cycle it. Several design prices and nominations give proof of the high standards Brittas Schmiede has: A'Design Award, Benvenuto Cellini-Medal, Award of European Academy of Jewellers, goldsmiths and silversmiths and Nominated for HRD and German Design Award.

AWARD DETAILS
	Poppy Ring by Britta Schwalm is Runner-up for A' Design Award in Jewelry Design Category, 2021 - 2022. · Read the interview with designer Britta Schwalm for design Poppy here. · Press Members: Login or Register to request an exclusive interview with Britta Schwalm. · Click here to register inorder to view the profile and other works by Britta Schwalm.