Alpa Sheth: Academy of Art University. Selected Graduate 2019

Academy of Art University, San Francisco, United States.


Modern Alchemy

The process of alchemy was the inspiration for this thesis. There are many modes of alchemy; the two I have focused on are the chemical process of change of matter and the philosophical transmutation of the self. The chemical process deals with the change of base metals into gold or the elixir of life as practiced in ancient cultures and during the Renaissance. The philosophical process, practiced by 19th-century psychiatrists, such as Carl Jung, is associated with the internal transformation of the self. Being interested in the transformation of the physical as well as the metaphysical, each design became a personal alchemic journey of the materials, exploration of the processes and my aesthetics rooted in Eastern and Western cultures. This duality, in all aspects of my life, became the starting point for my creativity.

The making process started with conceptual understanding of alchemy. The various stages and colors of the chemical changes, the different jewelry techniques, and the inherent nature of the materials provided inspiration to design intuitively. The making process was a continually evolving dialogue with my emotional reaction, along with the materials’ altering state. Ideation leads me through a process of re-evaluation of the artistic self, gave me the means to distil out the chaos through analyzing, imagining, and discovering. This process of aesthetic and conceptual re-orientation was the goal of pursuing my master’s. The Jewelry and Metal Arts program at the Academy of Art University provided an appropriate starting point for me to develop a more distinctive artistic sensibility, strengthen my conceptual thinking, and build a flexible artistic career after years of working in commercial industries. With a blank slate, the focus was on learning new techniques and conceptual design through deliberate consideration. The project narratives are inspired by my Indian culture and refined by the aesthetics of an adopted Western culture. The outcome of my journey has been a metamorphosis of new technical skills and materials with multi-cultural inspiration to produce my confident, meaningful, and personal creative voice.

Name of graduation student: Alpa Sheth.
Name of the guiding teacher: Charlene Modena (Director, School of Jewelry & Metal Arts), Karen Chesna (Online Coordinator, School of Jewelry & Metal Arts), Alexis Pavlantos, Chrystal Sunshine, David Casella, David Sekoll, Diego Taccioli, Francesca MacKie, Gordon Silveria, Jonathan Russell, Killean Evans, Mark Hellar, Norm DeCarlo, Sydney Brown, Walter Dickhaut, Wendy McDermott.


More work and contact:
Email: alpasheth4@gmail.com


Find out more about the courses at the Academy of Art University, San Francisco, United States.