Alice Biolo (she/her)
Under the skin is a collection of brooches developed from the concept of pain and trauma. The brooches become an intent of translating an emotional state into 9 main physical wearable objects, representing different stages of trauma and how most humans process it. The collection is composed of cylindrical shaped silver hollow structures, with a hidden compartment on the inside, a metaphor of the human state, linear and simple on the outside but complex on the inside. In the traditional sense jewellery serves the purpose of conveying certain symbolism or status toward the outside world. In this instance the lack thereof and the simplicity of the design to the eye of the observer creates a special sentiment for the wearer alone. When worn, the wearer can choose to show and share with an audience the back of the brooch, or keeping it for themselves. The collection is an echo of social behaviour encouraged within our society, to show the attractive aspects of ourselves and share those with the world, while we are encouraged to hide those less appealing and possibly hurtful and damaging, keeping our most vulnerable parts to ourselves. Under the skin aims to open a conversation and awareness regarding mental health and how individual but similar humans experience are.
Photo credit @shannontofts
Under the Skin
Under the Skin collection is made of mixed metals, precious metals, semi-precious stones such as red garnets from Mozambique and second-hand red
garnets kindly gifted from the Scottish Goldsmith Trust, and stainless-steel pins. My decision to use precious and non-precious, ‘new’ and ‘old’ materials is to challenge the public, which perceive
value on just some of them, and traditionally talking mixing these materials would ‘bring down’ the value of
these objects.
Awarness
Trauma can be when you get too close to the fire when you are a child, and learn from it to survive, or a
traumatic experience that will stop you from living and will change who you are forever. Either way, trauma
is experienced from each one of us on a daily basis, from the moment we take our first breath in this world.
The collection aims to be a narration of trauma, from the first brooch N.1, shiny and intact, where the pins
are not visible but present on the inside, to an evolution, where the trauma slowly start to show. A small
opening on the back of the N.2 shows us the pins partially, the silver container slowly become darker and
unpolished. In N.3 the hole becomes bigger, the pins are taking over and the light from the silver is almost
gone. The darkness took over, the outside is now completely covered.
Accepting
Next stage is the acceptance stage. The pins moves, divide, and come back together, the individual is analising and reaching acceptance. N.9 represent the moment when the pain and trauma someone experiences is processed, becomes part
with the individual which now will live with them forever. The pins are still there, healing and the idea of the trauma and the pins to disappear is utopic, but in the end of these series a positive outcome is represent, the pins become gold.
