New York based Kevin Wei is an architect turned jewelry designer who has been blowing us away with his new line of beautiful bracelets and necklaces in Sterling Silver. We had a chance to catch up with him at the Shapeways Meetup last week and were inspired to share his story.
He's a big thinker, who tries "to work like writers do, with the world as my muse, technology like a pen in hand, to discover the biography of things."
Cheat Sheet:
- Tech he couldn't live without: Digital calipers, DropBox, and Shapeways (his words, not ours!)
- Favorite material: Sugru
- Favorite font: Any font, as long as the words are extraordinary
- 3D software of choice: Rhino, Grasshopper
- Most prized object: The buckle on my backpack. It once saved me in a bike vs. taxi accident
- Morning person / night owl: Sometimes neither
How did you learn to design in 3D?
I taught myself and learned from others, but that was easy. I'm more interested in learning how to tell a story, how the art of storytelling resonates through acts of making. It's difficult, powerful, and I'm still learning how to do it.
How would you describe your creative process?
I root my work in the complex heritage of craft, design, and art, and then I execute it through techniques of architecture and engineering. It's all about equipping old ideas so they might flourish in a very different time and context. I think the Cosma Bangle is my best example so far. Its intricacy and construction absolutely require today's technology, yet it has a historical and cultural story that goes back nearly 1000 years to the humble artisanship of mosaic workers. There's something powerful about translating ideas and methods into stories for a new millennium.
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