These sculptures employ religious and humanist aesthetics to create two altars: one for projection and one for reflection. The choice of form and materials are inspired by conversations surrounding the impact of technological advances on individuation.
A PERSONAL NOTE
After my MS diagnosis, I immediately began mourning my future in the face of how MRI scans appeared to redefine me. Would I be minimized to a binary technological interpretation or take control of the definition? In response, I created tools for considering time, change, and the impracticality of idealization. Those tools took the shape of a playable record of MRI machine noise lathed onto one of my scans and trapped within 21 layers of acrylic sitting atop a pedestal crafted to ideal greek proportions.
Digital 18:05:80 is an interpretation of seminal post-punk singer and lyricist Ian Curtis of Joy Division. It portrays Curtis' face entranced and emerging from a hand-casted 9.70" x 6" x 1.75" matte white cold-cast porcelain solid in the proportions of the golden mean. It is the second in the Musical Muses Series and the follow-up to Half a Person: A Morrissey Effigy.
Inspired by the alarming mass disappearance of honeybees, The Abandoned Comb Amulet is a Solomonic dilemma: violently shatter and consume the object to remove its inner worth or nurture the form and allow it to reveal the treasure within naturally.
MATERIALS
The Abandoned Comb Amulet is a six hexagon 18k gold honeycomb pendant on a gold chain encapsulated in a three-inch tall hexagonal sugar-glass pyramid filled with New York rooftop honey. It is presented and preserved in an airtight glass bell-jar and rubber base—edition of 30.
PROCESS
It begins with a visit to a local rooftop beehive in Brooklyn, New York. There, I gathered an abandoned wax honeycomb that had suffered from Colony Collapse. I coated the wax with natural shellacs in preparation for traditional “lost wax” casting. The wax honeycomb is completely burned away during casting and replaced with gold. The result is a perfect 18k gold replica of the found honeycomb.
I then reduced the casting into arrangements of six hexagons. Each cluster is assembled onto a gold chain with a handcrafted clasp, disinfected, and sealed by hand in a honey-filled cast sugar pyramid.
A special thank you to The Brooklyn Bee, PapaBubble Caramels Artesans, Susanne Goetz, and Austin Priebe. Still photography by Gisel Florez, black and white photo by Nadav Benjamin.
"If you reveal your secrets to the wind, you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees." – Kahlil Gibran
The box is designed to preserve the precious and conceal the priceless.
Approximately 12.5" x 9" x 3.5"
Hand-oiled and "ebonized" American Maple
Spine engraving inlaid in weathered brass
Brass and vintage piano ivory inlays on cover and keyhole
Cover illustration “As Night Overtakes Day”
Interior tray contains six drawstring linen bags
Sliding hidden drawer drawer is 1" deep with a hinged top and 22k gold gilding
Includes "Sun Key" pendant on natural waxed cord
Man & Viper aims to challenge contemporary views of vise and prodigiousness shrouded in our consensual idea of luxury.
THE GOLDEN JAW
The Golden Jaw is a direct casting of a decaying human jaw with sculptural additions. Cigarettes fit neatly between teeth and cigars behind molars or across mandibular notches. Edition of 100.
MATERIALS
24k Gold Over Solid Bronze
Natural Black Diamond
5″ × 4 1/4″ × 2 1/2"
Signed and Numbered by Derrick Cruz
Custom “Black Wood” Box
THE GOLDEN COTTONMOUTH
The Cottonmouth is an unusual scarf adornment and detailed sculpture of a viper modeled from memory. Edition of 100.
24k gold over solid bronze
2.25″ × 1.5″ × 1.5″
Each is marked with the artist’s initials
Concept, Art Direction, Jewelry Design, Staffing, Copy, Graphic Design
Theft of Light was inspired by our inherent need for family. Circumstantially denied this hopeful propensity, some brave all odds to seek a tribe. Yet, "all things permissible are not always expedient". Some tribes help us thrive, while others encourage us to revel indignantly towards self-destruction. Courage, sincerity, and hope inform the outcome. Dedicated to "Jun" Cruz (1951-2009).
Art Direction - Derrick Cruz, Photography - Nadav Benjamin, Stylist - Sarah McCormack, Assistant - Christine Samar
Who sang the songs that saved your life? The answer to this question is certainly not universal. Yet, for the droves of outliers who braved the plight of adolescence with a ragged "Queen is Dead" T-Shirt on their backs and a melting Walkman in hand, one ambivalent troubadour, stands heroic.
Our ears perked up at his brave and fiery moans. His brainy frankness gave us the courage to flaunt our awkwardness with wild abandon. He wrote our battle hymns, and we proudly took up spectacles and paperbacks for arms against the world with him. For the clumsy and shy finally had a champion, and as the records spun on, we listened to his croons assured it was sufficient to be Half a Person.
Half a Person is a heroic idealization. Chest exposed, coy grin, and coiffed to perfection; its only vulnerabilities are a band-aid covered nipple and a cotton wick.
Half a Person: Morrissey is the first in Black Sheep & Prodigal Sons Musical Muses Series.
Edition of 100
9.1 inches tall
100% hand-cast beeswax, 1.25 lb.
100% cotton wick
Small scale sculptures created for Occulter's Oliphaunt art subscription experiment. Abstraction of Joseph Beuys' America Likes Me performance. Concrete, iron, cassette recording, hay, sumi dyed cotton
The New York Times commissioned me to recreate their iconic Style Magazine "T" in whatever materials I was working with at the time. The result was this 18k gold and sugar glass three dimensional "T."
Concept, Identity, Creative Direction, Product Development, Package Design, Store Design, Copywriting, Social Marketing
Inspired by a pantheon of fringe thinkers and risk-takers the Occulter artist’s collective and retail project represented a certain beauty found in darkness and an intellect driven by science and wonder. Occulter members created challenging works in a variety of mediums, organized highly attended group exhibitions and displayed and sold works at Occulter’s brick-and-mortar store in the Lower East Side. It also featured a selection of branded and curated goods. Occulter’s online presence garnered a passionate international following evidenced by social media engagement and retail conversions.
The JCReport placed Occulter second to Comme des Garçons Black in its Top Five Small Shops.
Robert Smith will forever be the frolicking ghoul that excused my brooding dance.
I remember the calling drums and visceral chants of songs like Hanging Garden moving me to teen introspection. The Cure's punk grit and mystical arabesques masterfully set the stage for Smith's desperate vocals to entrance me. Enveloped in flanging echos, I ritually pushed the volume to its limits.
But just when darkness seemed paramount and spiderman was free to have me for dinner, Smith showed some hope. I was free to accept my inner gloom as a tool and not an end in itself. Which encouraged my pimply-teen self to see that sanctioned cool was not my path and that flailing my hands around while tripping over myself was as worthy a form of self-expression as any.
Thanks, Mr. Smith. I owe you one.
My goal was to capture Smith in his youthful Pornography era. The Cure fans so fervently sought to emulate all of the details needed to be there: black button-ups, tight black jeans, and contrast hi-tops. But perhaps most importantly, his playful spirit had to be caricatured to make one message clear: doom and gloom had a secret smirk, and Robert Smith was the archetype.
As an artist and designer, I sculpt, but human likenesses aren't my thing. So, to find the true soul of the project, I needed to collaborate with a sculptor that shared my affinity towards Smith. As I gathered source material, sketching poses, and researching the perfect sneakers, I remembered the work of John Truman Tan. John's uncanny ability to capture a spirit made me an instant collector of his pieces a few years back. Not only does he sculpt accurate likenesses, but he has a rare sensibility for representing minute garments and tailoring details. John also likes to make bobbleheads. It was the perfect medium for Smith.
Without hesitation, I reached out to John, found out we shared a love for all things 80's, sent him my drawings, design ideas, and research, and Unhappy the Man: Robert Smith was born.
Concept, Logo Design, Site Design, Product Design, Copy, Curation, Sales, Marketing
To our animal, some things are mere sustenance. But we’ve evolved. As global consumers, we now respond to fashion, availability, and cost to determine the value of things. And as post-industrialists, our fetish objects have little intrinsic worth and are mainly gateways to an ever-expanding load of ethereal stuff. It’s difficult to reckon how we’ll physically and psychologically adapt to the exponential developments spawned by our own intellect. But we can be certain that our relationship to objects and people will continue to be redefined.
Fortunately, we’re sentient and instinctive. From our very beginnings, we’ve created artifacts to help us cope with the uncanny. The venerable human fingerprint continues to coalesce our intellect and emotional temperament into objects of self-reflection. And we’ve seen reciprocity and the human bond transmute the crafted thing from ordinary commodity to myth making tool. Despite their elusive quantifiability, we maintain that physical skill and artfulness are keystones to cultural identity. This is a marvelous mystery: that we would be modern and still wittingly cherish the transformative power of objects, as if to say, “A thing is not always just a thing”.
THIS IS THE BEAST IN THE ROOM. THIS IS OLIPHAUNT.
Mechanically, Oliphaunt is an object quarterly by creative collective OCCULTER. Metaphysically, it’s an exchange experience enveloped in secrecy and anticipation.
Oliphaunt intends to encourage the conscientious manner in which you relate to the things you own. We believe that intelligent design, artfulness, and craftsmanship are your expectations, while respect, community, and culture can be our mutual rewards.
Membership Programme
There are three parts to an Oliphaunt membership: an induction package, a monthly print newsletter, and four quarterly objects or “Oliphaunts”.
INDUCTION PACKAGE
Induction packages ship soon after enrollment. These consist of an exclusive member badge with your Member ID (enumerating your position in the sequence of subscribers) and a welcome letter.
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
Every month following, a printed newsletter will be mailed to you. This newsletter will be filled with clues and dates relevant to the content of each upcoming quarterly object.
QUARTERLY OBJECTS
Four member exclusive objects will ship, one every three months, on or near equinoxes and solstices. Each will be signed by the corresponding artist and numbered with your Member ID. Four artists will participate each year, each making one object.
Roster 2013
The 2013 artist roster for Oliphaunt is made up of our senior most members: Derrick Cruz, founder and Creative Director of Occulter and Black Sheep & Prodigal Sons, instructor at Parsons The New School; artist and photographer, Jeremy Dyer; jewelry designer and sculptor, Jonathan Goldstein of Bevel; and artist Gabriel J. Shuldiner.
Induction Package contents are designed and crafted by Derrick Cruz. Newsletters are designed and crafted by Derrick Cruz in collaboration with Jeremy Dyer.
JOINING
To request a membership, email us at... Memberships are limited.
Schedule
December 15, 2012 - Induction Packages begin shipping and continue as new members join
March 20, 2013 - Oliphaunt No.1
June 21, 2013 - Oliphaunt No.2
September 22, 2013 - Oliphaunt No.3
December 15, 2013 - Oliphaunt No.4
Though winter solstice 2013 is on December 21st, we’d like your parcel to arrive by Christmas, so it will ship on the 15th. Newsletters will ship on the first of every month.
Dues
A one-year membership is twelve hundred dollars. You may pay the full amount at once or choose to divide it into four payments. If you opt for installments, three-hundred dollars will be due when you enroll and then again every three months following, for a total of four three-hundred dollar payments. Billing will occur approximately four weeks before each quarterly ships. Membership includes domestic and international shipping.
Delivery
Induction Packages, Newsletters, and Oliphaunts may be shipped directly to you or the person of your choice. All emails, receipts, and book-keeping communications will be sent directly to the paying subscriber. Contact us to make special delivery and addressing arrangements.
Clues
The monthly newsletters will be replete with hints into the content of Oliphaunts. A season’s parcel may contain a sculptural design object reflecting an artist’s current obsession; an exclusive precursor to an upcoming body of work could be the culprit, or you may find yourself loosely participating in a long distance ritual with tools made by a seasoned craftsman. The possibilities of imagination are truly endless, as Oliphaunt seeks to be, not blur, the line that intersects art, craft and the common; for we believe this is where wonder lives.
Every item leaving our studios will reflect the attention to concept, craftsmanship, and quality you know from Occulter. Our artists are so excited about this project that Oliphaunt is bound to exceed expectations. To see current works by OCCULTER, please visit Occulter.org.
Concept, Curation, Installation, Artwork, Graphic Design, Copywriting, Event Organization
New York, NY – Munch Gallery is pleased to present Silent Weapons for Quiet Wars, a group exhibition of new works by Derrick Cruz, Jeremy Dyer and Luke Kranker.
Titled after the 1979 manifesto calling for control of the masses through social engineering, the exhibition illustrates each artist’s preoccupation with the didactic as a counterbalance to the use of mythopoeia in commercial and political messaging. In contrast, their work takes shape as minimal plastic objects, stark black and white prints and droning audio all produced from a diversity of new and traditional media.
Cruz’s sculpture synthesizes physical media forms believed to be obsolete to indicate the impact of technological advances on individuation. Inspired by dystopian science fiction, personal physical challenges, and thinkers such as Joseph Campbell and Jaron Lanier, Cruz manipulates religious and humanist aesthetic constructs to produce “an altar for projection and one for self-reflection.”
Dyer’s printed works engage the pastoral landscape as a site of collision. Constructed from original and found photography, his black and white images of menacing fires and collapsing beasts strive to reconcile an anachronistic past with what he considers “the inevitable something that is coming."
Kranker’s sound collages are the byproduct of ten years of psychotropic experimentation and his study of controversial philosophers, such as Terence McKenna and Timothy Leary. Inspired by “the darker aspects of the psychedelic experience,” his long form textural audio compositions create a space where “thoughts flow freely... and self-deception can be observed with sharpened clarity.”
Concept, Identity, Curation, Set Design, Event Organization, Marketing
A New Hive is an effort to help save the indispensable honeybee. These images document an group art installation and event that took place in the Meatpacking District of New York City. Every work in the exhibition was the result of thorough collaboration with artists and New York beekeepers geared to reflect one alarming vision — a future without pollinators.
10% of all proceeds from A New Hive supported sustainable beekeeping practices and the up-keep of hives founded by The New York Beekeeping Meetup and The Brooklyn Bee. To get involved or to learn more about beekeeping visit http://www.nycbeekeeping.com/
Dark Memento encourages fetishism. It asks that we obsess over every detail of an object in search of intimate meaning — as would an amulet or myth. Materially and symbolically, the collection portents the passage of time and an unknown spiritual future. Precious metals presume longevity, while dilapidation points to impermanence.
The hope is for the ward to consider a piece, put it to use, and then return it all to its "sacred place" to promote ritual.
Concept, Curation, Installation, Graphic Design, Copy, Event Organization, Sales, Marketing
New York City Artist Collective OCCULTER Presents BLACK BEACH at White Box
White Box is pleased to kick-off its Beach Box Series with “Black Beach”, the first group exhibition by New York City artist collective OCCULTER.
Five OCCULTER artists will be featured in “Black Beach”: Nadav Benjamin; Jeremy Dyer; Derrick Cruz; Jonathan Goldstein; and Gabriel J. Shuldiner. Each artist will present large format works spanning the scope of digital constructions, mixed-media paintings, sculpture and site-specific installations. Smaller works will be presented as a “Consumables Shop” at the White Box-Universal Ltd. Editions Cafe.
In “Black Beach”, OCCULTER members introduce a collection of tenebrous works as a call to worship at the feet of new mythologies still in flux. As symbolists in expectation of an uncertain future, each artist attempts to interpret consciousness or the incorporeal, with history (aesthetic, religious, political or otherwise) as a tool, not a guide.
The installation as a whole evokes a self-reflective spirituality that longs for a community as it shuns it. Contrasting the contemplative allusions in the artwork, on opening and closing nights “Black Beach” will transition from a space of observation to one of participation, as a set of energetic musical performances curated by Todd Pendu of Pendu NYC fill White Box.
Concept, Logo Design, Site Design, Product Design, Copy, Curation, Sales, Marketing
To our animal, some things are mere sustenance. But we’ve evolved. As global consumers, we now respond to fashion, availability, and cost to determine the value of things. And as post-industrialists, our fetish objects have little intrinsic worth and are mainly gateways to an ever-expanding load of ethereal stuff. It’s difficult to reckon how we’ll physically and psychologically adapt to the exponential developments spawned by our own intellect. But we can be certain that our relationship to objects and people will continue to be redefined.
Fortunately, we’re sentient and instinctive. From our very beginnings, we’ve created artifacts to help us cope with the uncanny. The venerable human fingerprint continues to coalesce our intellect and emotional temperament into objects of self-reflection. And we’ve seen reciprocity and the human bond transmute the crafted thing from ordinary commodity to myth making tool. Despite their elusive quantifiability, we maintain that physical skill and artfulness are keystones to cultural identity. This is a marvelous mystery: that we would be modern and still wittingly cherish the transformative power of objects, as if to say, “A thing is not always just a thing”.
THIS IS THE BEAST IN THE ROOM. THIS IS OLIPHAUNT.
Mechanically, Oliphaunt is an object quarterly by creative collective OCCULTER. Metaphysically, it’s an exchange experience enveloped in secrecy and anticipation.
Oliphaunt intends to encourage the conscientious manner in which you relate to the things you own. We believe that intelligent design, artfulness, and craftsmanship are your expectations, while respect, community, and culture can be our mutual rewards.
Membership Programme
There are three parts to an Oliphaunt membership: an induction package, a monthly print newsletter, and four quarterly objects or “Oliphaunts”.
INDUCTION PACKAGE
Induction packages ship soon after enrollment. These consist of an exclusive member badge with your Member ID (enumerating your position in the sequence of subscribers) and a welcome letter.
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
Every month following, a printed newsletter will be mailed to you. This newsletter will be filled with clues and dates relevant to the content of each upcoming quarterly object.
QUARTERLY OBJECTS
Four member exclusive objects will ship, one every three months, on or near equinoxes and solstices. Each will be signed by the corresponding artist and numbered with your Member ID. Four artists will participate each year, each making one object.
Clues
The monthly newsletters will be replete with hints into the content of Oliphaunts. A season’s parcel may contain a sculptural design object reflecting an artist’s current obsession; an exclusive precursor to an upcoming body of work could be the culprit, or you may find yourself loosely participating in a long distance ritual with tools made by a seasoned craftsman. The possibilities of imagination are truly endless, as Oliphaunt seeks to be, not blur, the line that intersects art, craft and the common; for we believe this is where wonder lives.
Manifesto
The ultimate goal of the ring is unity! Good design, material integrity and personalization are indispensable parts of our contemporary lives, but not of our rings. Today, these progressive elements exist stunted by corrupt legacy brands from which they can only be salvaged by the purposeful cooperation of artisans and technologists. Designers, craftspeople and engineers must devise new ways of representing the ring, as an experience and in terms of its parts. Their work will then re-ignite the spirit of wholeness a ring signifies, which was lost in the antiquated retail establishments and glossy adverts of our predecessors.
So let us therefore create a new way of experiencing and creating the ring, free of the artifice and blood that raises a barrier of irrelevance between our hearts and our symbols! Let us strive for, conceive and create the new ring of the future that will unite design and technology and ethics, and which will one day rise heavenwards from the million hands of couples as a clear symbol of a new belief to come. — Derrick Cruz
Named after the prehistoric giants, the Mammoth Razor is a masterfully restored vintage blade, Alaskan Woolly Mammoth ivory sheath, sterling silver hardware, and a quartz Stanhope lens containing vintage micro-photography.
THE BLADE
Regarding the exacting craft of years past, only vintage steel blades are used to produce the Mammoth Razor. Each blade is carefully chosen for its condition, quality, and manufacturer's reputation. Each edge is then restored and made shave-ready with exacting precision.
THE MAMMOTH SHEATH
The blade sheath of "scales" is hand-carved out of woolly mammoth ivory to suit its corresponding blade. The scales are secured with Australian sterling silver pins for strength and luxurious touch.
CUSTOMIZATION
Each razor can be personalized with a custom image in the Stanhope lens and the addition of Scrimshaw engravings on the sheath.
THE STANHOPE LENS
Hidden within the stabilizing "plug" of the Mammoth Razor lies the historically rich Stanhope lens. Designed by the third Earl of Stanhope in the 1700s, each quartz Stanhope is a biconvex lens measuring 2-3 millimeters in diameter with a 160x magnifying power. Initially a field microscope for naturalists, its applications were broadened in the 1860s by the Parisian inventor of the micro-photograph, Rene Dagron. Thanks to Dragon, the Stanhope became a personal window to the infinite imagery that could be captured with photography. Its uses subsequently ranged from a way to smuggle essential documents during wartime to a means of "safekeeping" personal erotic photos.
The 1970s saw the end of the Stanhope production with its last production facility in Czechoslovakia. However, in 1993, renowned violinmaker Michael Sheibley of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, was introduced to an antique "picture bow" containing a Stanhope. Awed by its clarity and uniqueness, he immediately decided to revive the tradition. Today, even collectors find it difficult to discern Sheibley's perfectly crafted Stanhope lenses from the originals.
Black Sheep & Prodigal Sons continue this meticulous tradition by gracing the Mammoth Razor with Mr. Sheibley's highly collectible Stanhopes. Like Dagron offered over 100 years ago, Stanhopes may be customized with any fitting image or object.
PACKAGING
The Mammoth Razor comes in a handsome laser engraved salvaged solid-wood case and black linen drawstring sleeve. Included is a quarter ounce of Renaissance Wax, to be applied when the mammoth needs a protective coating and a polished shine.
The Lichen ring was commissioned as an engagement ring. It was inspired by a couple's love for the surface textures of their favorite tree. The diamond set in the wax model and cast to be encapsulated by molten gold.
1ct natural black diamond, 22k gold.
Milá was commissioned as an engagement ring. It was inspired by the interior structures and reptilian qualities of Antoni Gaudí's Casa Milá.
1.01 ct pale brown brilliant cut diamond, white diamond micro-pave, 18k rose gold, platinum, engravings, vintage packaging.
Six Sixes was commissioned as an engagement ring. It was inspired by gothic cathedral columns, the stylized and classical motifs of the 19th century and the optimistic promise of pure speed from the Art Deco era. Underneath the center setting the point of the diamond opens to the Black Sheep & Prodigal Sons hexagon trade mark.
.89 ct Old European Cut 100+ year old natural diamond, six .33 vintage Rose Cut diamonds, 14k white gold, vintage packaging.
The Raven Ring was commissioned as an engagement ring. It was inspired by the couple's love for open, light-filled structures and their penchant for rustic modernism.
2.6 carat top round brilliant cut/bottom rose cut grey diamond, side diamond details, 18k rose gold, engravings, custom packaging.
The TS Ring was commissioned as an engagement ring. It was inspired by the Times Square Art Deco skyscraper designed by Ralph Thomas Walker of the firm Voorhees, Gmelin, and Walker located in Rochester, New York.
1 carat old European cut diamond, 18k gold and platinum.
Inspired by New York City architecture old and new, the commissioned Min Anniversary Ring features a family heirloom center diamond, four tapered baguette diamonds, 12 custom cut sapphires, a platinum body, enamel side channels and a hand-engraving.
The Lori Hex Ring was commissioned as a birthday gift. It features a custom cut six step hexagonal 3.5ct Zultanite, two custom Stanhope lenses with microphotography, vintage diamond pavé, recycled green gold and platinum.
Two custom handcrafted rod shaped glass Stanhope lenses with magnify the encased -1mm film photos at 160x. This particular ring contains a wedding photo on one side and a photo of the couples three children on the other.
Stanhopes were first developed in the 1800s and then often used by spies to transport important documents. All one needs to do to view the image is to hold the convex side close to the eye (back view seen here).
The Red Mandala ring was commissioned as an engagement ring. It was completely fabricated by hand from raw recycled 18k rose gold and platinum. The ring is crowned with a custom rose-cut pink sapphire.
Sculpted of natural clay and cast in 22k gold directly from that clay.
The Salk Bands were commissioned as wedding rings. They are two identical but proportioned 22k gold bands displaying a minimalist silhouette and gap referencing the fountain at Louis Kahn's Salk Institute.
The Hexagon wedding band is a thick walled hexagonal ring with square facets proportional to each ring size for a perfect fit. It is available in 10, 14 and 18 karat gold, and sterling silver. The inside shank features the Black Sheep and Prodigal Sons hexagon makers mark.
Here pictured in matte finished 10k gold.
THE RING is the result of a design collaboration between Roman & Williams and Betroth founder Derrick Cruz. It started as a daydream; we were thinking about the face of a perfect, unbroken wave, the power of potential.
The rings are cast in 20k gold, which is a very high gold content, and relatively soft. We love how beautifully they wear as you wear them; becoming a part of you, collecting the traces of your life.
Use this ring to forge an alliance. Make a bond. Celebrate promises. Remember a moment in time. A ring is a sacred object, a symbol of love and devotion – give ours as a gift to someone important, or to yourself.
• Recycled 20k gold
• Natural Ruby
• Handcrafted in New York City
For Betroth.me and Roman & Williams
Recycled 18k, above ground diamond
Oxidized Sterling
Oxidized Sterling
Oxidized Sterling
The Facet ring was commissioned as an engagement ring. The sharply carved form evokes naturally occurring geometry and lends the ring monumental qualities. The diamond set in the wax model and cast to be encapsulated by molten gold.
Rose cut natural grey diamond, 14K gold.
The Destroyer ring was commissioned as an engagement ring. Its form was inspired by plant growth symmetry and the stylized lines of the Art Nouveau.
1ct red diamond, black diamonds, 18k rose gold, platinum, engravings, custom packaging.
Animal Viewer is a pendant intending to preserve the noble memory of a worker honeybee. Sterling, seven 160x Stanhope lenses with dissected honeybee parts. The honeybee was found dead in the same hive used for the Abandoned Comb.
Paperback
Black Latex
Book Tape
Cotton Cord
Brass
A book format designed to challenge the digital rights management model of leased media by declaring physicality the starting point of ownership and personal individuation. It is also praise for print as a technologically and politically immune vehicle for ideas.
For Occulter.org
Samantha Pleet - Presentation
Flax horsehair and bespoke white geometric bronze and sculpted leather accessories to accent Pleet's collection.
Identity
Site Typography
Business Card Design
MOLD is an editorial platform about designing the future of food. Through in-depth, original reporting and a distinct vision for how design can transform our food futures, our editors cover innovative ideas emerging from the world of food design and technology. From cellular agriculture to 3D food printing, entomophagy to beautifully designed tableware (and why it makes your meal taste better), MOLD spotlights the ideas that will revolutionize how we produce, prepare and eat food in the years to come.
Concept
Identity
Photography
Product Development
Packaging
Site Design
Social Media
In an age when most of our photos are shared far and wide, Little Stardust Co. combines age-old technology with fine jewelry to create intimate, bespoke heirlooms.
Each Little Stardust Co. jewelry piece is a modern way to treasure your personal photo or message. Like a secretive locket, this minimalist charm conceals a microscopic photograph encased inside a small-but-powerful cylindrical lens known as a Stanhope. Bring the pendant close to your eye to see your image (magnified up to 160 times) in beautiful detail.
Art Direction
Styling
Accessory Design
Perfumed Paper Collection
For Monet & Venice, I developed the packaging concept and narrative system translating the exhibition’s atmospheric scent installation by Joya–Modern Fragrance House into a portable object.
Three fragrances, originally diffused in timed sequence within the rotunda, were adapted into perfumed paper—an intimate, mailable format designed to extend the experience beyond the museum.
Each scent lives on a hangable paper tag housed within a 4×6 envelope. The format functions as object, artwork, and atmospheric device—designed for gradual release over time.
Placed in a drawer, on a hook, near a window, the fragrance unfolds differently in each space. The intention was continuation, not replication.
The system includes:
• exhibition-grade credit hierarchy
• modular postcard format for museum display
• capacity envelope for bundled sets
• scalable retail iterations (belly band, boxed set)
• landing page architecture connecting artwork, scent, and spatial experience
