Ran Luo. Edinburgh College of Art. Selected Graduate 2020
Published: 16.11.2020

Strange Beauty… the title of Ran’s master project. Ran’s mastery of both precious metalwork alongside the sophisticated application of enameling is highly aesthetic and sensitively crafted. Ran undertook extensive research through detailed drawing & photography to gain an understanding of nature’s micro world, so often hidden from the human eye. Her thoughtful designs seek to communicate these wonders of the natural world that surround us. Each piece of jewelry sends a message, they tell the viewer where they came from and how they were created. The message is not limited by words or language, it is stored within the form of the piece and in the materials employed. Sensual pieces are designed to delight the eye through their inherent intricacy whilst adorning the body.
/Susan Cross
I am fascinated by nature. From animals to plants, each creature has a unique form that provides plenty of inspiration for my work. During my studies in Edinburgh, I designed, with the aim of reinterpreting natural forms into beautiful yet intriguing pieces, fine jewelry using metalwork.
Elements of the eye that have an emotional connection were always my starting point. As I dismantle the details in the eye, I can feel my connection to other species, a subtlety that breathes more life into my work.
My graduation project is called “Strange Beauty”. It is a collection of fine jewelry and affordable luxury jewelry that reflects delicate details surrounding us in the natural world. Huge compound eyes and skeletal seed shells may seem strange and unsettling to others, but I found the beauty behind them, such as changeable colors and finely divided hexagons. I constructed sensual and elegant three-dimensional spatial structures that were inspired by the compound eye of dragonflies. The forms of the insects are a direct reflection of their environment, such as the surrounding flowers and seed pods. I wanted to magnify their delicate details from a micro perspective, combining objects from the natural environment in which the insects live. Those similar shapes and patterns reflect the abundant connection between creatures and nature.
By analyzing the forms and shapes of my inspiration through basic elements of sketch and model, I arranged the shape features of insects and pods in the form of lines, structures, and colors. I used these basic shape measures, not to reproduce the creatures like themselves, but to design new shapes through deconstruction and reconstruction. My work brings different mini elements together, melding them, thus creating new narratives.
/Ran Luo
More work and contact:
Email: luoraneca@gmail.com
Name of graduation student: Ran Luo.
Name of the guiding teacher: Susan Cross.
Find out more about the courses at Edinburgh College of Art.
Elements of the eye that have an emotional connection were always my starting point. As I dismantle the details in the eye, I can feel my connection to other species, a subtlety that breathes more life into my work.
My graduation project is called “Strange Beauty”. It is a collection of fine jewelry and affordable luxury jewelry that reflects delicate details surrounding us in the natural world. Huge compound eyes and skeletal seed shells may seem strange and unsettling to others, but I found the beauty behind them, such as changeable colors and finely divided hexagons. I constructed sensual and elegant three-dimensional spatial structures that were inspired by the compound eye of dragonflies. The forms of the insects are a direct reflection of their environment, such as the surrounding flowers and seed pods. I wanted to magnify their delicate details from a micro perspective, combining objects from the natural environment in which the insects live. Those similar shapes and patterns reflect the abundant connection between creatures and nature.
By analyzing the forms and shapes of my inspiration through basic elements of sketch and model, I arranged the shape features of insects and pods in the form of lines, structures, and colors. I used these basic shape measures, not to reproduce the creatures like themselves, but to design new shapes through deconstruction and reconstruction. My work brings different mini elements together, melding them, thus creating new narratives.
/Ran Luo
More work and contact:
Email: luoraneca@gmail.com
Name of graduation student: Ran Luo.
Name of the guiding teacher: Susan Cross.
Find out more about the courses at Edinburgh College of Art.
Ring: Strange Beauty I, 2020
Silver, enamel, pearl.
4 x 3 x 2.8 cm
Photo by: Ran Luo
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Strange Beauty, 2020
22ct gold, silver, enamel.
11 x 5.2 x 2.5 cm
Photo by: Ran Luo
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Strange Beauty, 2020
22ct gold, silver, enamel.
11 x 5.2 x 2.5 cm
Photo by: Ran Luo
Top view.
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Brooch: Strange Beauty, 2020
22ct gold, silver, enamel.
11 x 5.2 x 2.5 cm
Photo by: Ran Luo
Detail view.
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Necklace: Strange Beauty, 2020
Silver, enamel, coral, garnet.
Pendant: 7 x 3.8 cm; Chain: 58 cm
Photo by: Ran Luo
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
Set: Strange Beauty, 2020
Silver, enamel, pearl.
Various sizes
Photo by: Ran Luo
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.
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