Signs of Life by Claire Kahn

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Claire Kahn

This year, artist and designer Claire Kahn reveals a new exhibition, Signs of Life. Kahn will create 12 mini series of wearable adornment to turn our heads to the months of the year; where the pattern is her passion and the birthstones are her muse. In her new collection, Kahn communicates one's affinity for the stones through the element of color, which will take the most precedence in her designs.

How do I fully express an idea, or clearly tell a story in a way that anyone can feel or understand without using pictorial imagery or literal symbols that can be read? She shares. Color is everything in this show. There’s a feeling that corresponds to each birthstone. It’s very specific and different to every other stone I’ll use in the collection. Each one has its own unique personality, and my intention is to celebrate that through the use of color.

As Kahn takes us through her seasons of time, immerse in works embellished with January's garnet, February's amethyst, the aquamarine of March, April's diamond, the emerald of May and more, as we explore the amalgam of beauty through the year.

A small reveal: Expect to see arresting contrasts in the works for March. Soft progressions of hushed hued beads will coalesce with pale aquamarine, while others will include deep, saturated bloodstone; dark silver and heavy, rustic definition. In December, a couple of pieces are entirely zircon, strung to her desired progression.

I see the subject as an opportunity to tell a vivid story, she explains. If my father had a mission statement it would be, ‘Treatment is content.’ Here, I’m taking the subject back down to its essence through my specific use of the material, and using the constraints and possibilities of the medium to inform my design. In doing so, Kahn celebrates the spirit of each month’s stone. Celebrating its familiar character and the personal connection of its beloved emblem with the person who adorns it.