development of prototype
Central to the project is the collaboration with industrial designers Zhiya (Yona) Huang and Mingshuo Zhang at Ming Design Studio, who made the technical elaboration of the prototype. They found each other in their mutual enthusiasm for filigree. Ming Design Studio: ‘We really like the combination of traditional handicrafts and design. Filigree craftsmanship has extremely exquisite details, but the production process requires a lot of manual effort, so it has gradually disappeared from people’s consciousness. We hope to bring it back to life through innovation.'
The designers want to explore the possibilities further together: ‘Once the tool is ready, it can be used by more people interested in filigree. At the same time, the inlay produced by our tool can be used as a basic element of design to continuously create more possibilities,’ explains Ming Design Studio. Van Kempen adds: ‘We also want to start playing with new cogwheels that fit the tool, to make other patterns possible in the future.’
For this project, besides Ming Design Studio, Van Kempen has worked closely with the Vakschool Schoonhoven, where she herself trained. The vocational college provided access to their facilities to test the tool and is assisting Van Kempen in developing teaching materials for a modular filigree course.
She finds connection to the industry through the Schoonhovense groothandel Herens & Herens and the Federatie Goud en Zilver. Patrick Thio, Federatie Goud en Zilver secretary/director: ‘There is a sustained demand for artisan-produced jewellery, but we can only serve this market well if there are enough professional colleagues who have mastered the complete palette of old and new techniques, including traditional and modern filigree work.’
