What’s left of Krypton – Graffiti jewelry

 

In our neighborhood there is a wall of graffiti that is constantly being redesigned by street artists. The resulting thick plates of color that crumble from the wall like old plaster form the basis of the jewelry. These plates of color have been separated into fine layers, making fragments of old graffiti reappear. Since the graffiti have been exposed to the weather and the many layers of color have merged, the pieces have antiqued effects reminiscent of ancient frescoes.

These effects are contrasted by the futuristic forms of the brooches, reflective of the cryptic lettering and cartoon-like drawings of the graffiti artists.

The jewelry collection was inspired by the cartoon hero Superman, whose crystalline planet Krypton was destroyed by a natural disaster. Even though his world is lost, Superman still keeps a few of the crystals from his home planet; they store all of Krypton’s knowledge, much like computer chips. The jewelry also preserves the memory of the former liveliness and variety of the departed graffiti.

Carina Chitsaz-Shoshtary

Diploma thesis 2011/2012

Academy of Fine Arts Munich
Class for Jewelry and Tools

Supervisor:
Prof. Otto Künzli