portuguese 3d-printed Jewelry
I designed this collection while living in a rural fablab in southern Portugal, where I was surrounded by an abundance of traditional design and handicrafts. Specifically central to my interests in pattern design are Portuguese azulejo tiles and lace embroidery, upon which I based this collection of pieces. Together, the works seek to blur the notion between hard and soft, rigid and flexible, tiled and woven. The colors of blue and white are a nod to the royal colors of the former Portuguese monarchy, and are often used on traditional houses in the Alentejo region.
Living amongst 3D printers in an extremely remote village, I was often confronted by the dichotomy between high-tech methods and limited resources. Although I use parametric modeling techniques and NASA-developed connection methods in the design of these objects, I chose to create pieces that could be printed fairly simply, using commonly-accessible FDM printers. As such, all my designs are both flexible and support-free, and virtually no assembly is required (almost all the pieces can be made as a single print). My aim through this collection is to elevate these traditional crafts in a contemporary and thought-provoking way while making their fabrication highly accessible.
