Justin Kong. UNSW School of Art & Design. New Talents Award Nominee 2022
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NewTalentsByKlimt02
Published: 28.12.2022
- Author:
- UNSW School of Art & Design
- Edited by:
- Klimt02
- Edited at:
- Barcelona
- Edited on:
- 2022
The 8th edition of the New Talents Award by Klimt02 aims to recognize the work of graduate students in our field by supporting their careers in the professional world. Nominated by our school members, one of the selected graduates will win the New Talents Award.
'Jou4' aims to bridge the gap between design and education by delivering a jewellery collection that instructs and informs young people about Cantonese opera. Developing a playful, active, and interesting educational approach to pique young people's interest in opera. focused on the dances specifically.
Name of graduation student: Justin Kong
Name of guiding teacher: Dr. Bic Tieu
Nominated by UNSW School of Art & Design.
The Bachelor of Design at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia offers Contemporary Jewellery as an area of practice in the Object Design disciplinary studio, one of six disciplinary studios in the Integrated Design specialisation. Reflected in the final year graduation projects, students learn to develop an integrated design approach by drawing on technical, experimental, and conceptual skills across multiple disciplinary studios. Object Design students are encouraged to explore contemporary jewellery as an expanded practice by seeking novel methods of adornment, communication, and material enquiry. Supported by tutors and technical staff with expertise in design and digital making, students create diverse jewellery outcomes that examine current concerns of our time including the significance of sustainability, social well-being, and cultural heritage.
/Dr. Zoë Veness
The statement of the artist:
Named 'Jou', a Cantonese opera term for dances, the goal is to introduce and enable younger users to understand the intention and emotion behind each dance move.
As a result of modernity and popular culture, intangible cultural heritage and art forms are finding it more difficult to survive and be preserved (Yeung, 2020). Cantonese opera is one such example. It is a centuries-old dramatic multidisciplinary art form that combines vocal and instrumental music with dancing, martial arts, acrobatics, and costume design (Cheung, 2020).
The art form began to take shape in Cantonese-speaking regions in the 1950s. Cantonese opera was more popular than movies in the 1950s, and several screenplays were adapted into films (Ng & Yip, 2016). The popularity of opera declined in the 1970s as 'Cantopop,' movies, television, and pop singers gained popularity (Lo, 2016). Following that, Cantonese opera gradually faded from public consciousness.
According to research conducted by the Cantonese Opera Advisory Committee, there are only 300,000 fans left today, compared to two million in the 1950s (Wong, 2005). Furthermore, the average age of Cantonese Opera audiences was over 50, implying that the art form may become extinct in the next 40 years due to an ageing audience (Chen, 2019). While the middle-aged audience is ageing, young people are reportedly uninterested in the art genre.
My project includes two jewellery series. The first series is about hand patterns inspired by Benjamin March's 1935 book 'Orchid Hand Patterns of Mei Lan-Fang', a well-known Chinese opera performance artist. You can see how the ring forms capture the hand pattern through careful analysis. The second series focuses on Cantonese opera footwork sourced from the online courses of The Cantonese Opera Academy of Hong Kong and showcases these movements in jewellery forms. This dance is known as the round table. It is used to represent a character travelling a long distance or riding horses. The footsteps are usually close together and coincide.
I want to create the same movement in my jewellery, so there will be a lot of back and forth.
Contact:
Mail: ngon_ieong.kong@gmail.com
Find out more about UNSW School of Art & Design
Name of guiding teacher: Dr. Bic Tieu
Nominated by UNSW School of Art & Design.
The Bachelor of Design at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia offers Contemporary Jewellery as an area of practice in the Object Design disciplinary studio, one of six disciplinary studios in the Integrated Design specialisation. Reflected in the final year graduation projects, students learn to develop an integrated design approach by drawing on technical, experimental, and conceptual skills across multiple disciplinary studios. Object Design students are encouraged to explore contemporary jewellery as an expanded practice by seeking novel methods of adornment, communication, and material enquiry. Supported by tutors and technical staff with expertise in design and digital making, students create diverse jewellery outcomes that examine current concerns of our time including the significance of sustainability, social well-being, and cultural heritage.
/Dr. Zoë Veness
The statement of the artist:
Named 'Jou', a Cantonese opera term for dances, the goal is to introduce and enable younger users to understand the intention and emotion behind each dance move.
As a result of modernity and popular culture, intangible cultural heritage and art forms are finding it more difficult to survive and be preserved (Yeung, 2020). Cantonese opera is one such example. It is a centuries-old dramatic multidisciplinary art form that combines vocal and instrumental music with dancing, martial arts, acrobatics, and costume design (Cheung, 2020).
The art form began to take shape in Cantonese-speaking regions in the 1950s. Cantonese opera was more popular than movies in the 1950s, and several screenplays were adapted into films (Ng & Yip, 2016). The popularity of opera declined in the 1970s as 'Cantopop,' movies, television, and pop singers gained popularity (Lo, 2016). Following that, Cantonese opera gradually faded from public consciousness.
According to research conducted by the Cantonese Opera Advisory Committee, there are only 300,000 fans left today, compared to two million in the 1950s (Wong, 2005). Furthermore, the average age of Cantonese Opera audiences was over 50, implying that the art form may become extinct in the next 40 years due to an ageing audience (Chen, 2019). While the middle-aged audience is ageing, young people are reportedly uninterested in the art genre.
My project includes two jewellery series. The first series is about hand patterns inspired by Benjamin March's 1935 book 'Orchid Hand Patterns of Mei Lan-Fang', a well-known Chinese opera performance artist. You can see how the ring forms capture the hand pattern through careful analysis. The second series focuses on Cantonese opera footwork sourced from the online courses of The Cantonese Opera Academy of Hong Kong and showcases these movements in jewellery forms. This dance is known as the round table. It is used to represent a character travelling a long distance or riding horses. The footsteps are usually close together and coincide.
I want to create the same movement in my jewellery, so there will be a lot of back and forth.
Contact:
Mail: ngon_ieong.kong@gmail.com
Find out more about UNSW School of Art & Design
Ring: Jou4, 2022
Nickel silver and sterling silver.
All within 12 x 6 x 9 cm
From series: Jou4. Series 1
3 rings.
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Ring: Jou4, 2022
3D printed resin, enamel paint, magnet, nickel silver, sterling silver.
12 x 6 x 9 cm
From series: Jou4. Series 2
Jou4. Series 2 set
3 rings
3 rings
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Ring: Jou4, 2022
3D printed resin, enamel paint, magnet, nickel silver, sterling silver.
12 x 6 x 9 cm
From series: Jou4. Series 2
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Ring: Jou4, 2022
3D printed resin, enamel paint, magnet, nickel silver, sterling silver.
12 x 6 x 9 cm
From series: Jou4. Series 2
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Ring: Jou4, 2022
3D printed resin, enamel paint, magnet, nickel silver, sterling silver.
12 x 6 x 9 cm
From series: Jou4. Series 2
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
- Author:
- UNSW School of Art & Design
- Edited by:
- Klimt02
- Edited at:
- Barcelona
- Edited on:
- 2022
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