Lani Ward
(She/Her)
In a world of increasing noise and distraction, escape has never felt more necessary. For me, that escape has always come in two forms: the absorbing silence of reading, and the focused intensity of making.
‘Making My Escape’ is a collection of jewellery that explores these feelings, with each piece acting as proof of an imagined world. Within this world, I draw on an unconscious curation of fantasy — the accumulated influence of a lifetime of reading. Without the objects, this escape does not exist. Through emphasis on texture, sound and detail, the collection aims to bring this imagined world into physical reality. The intimacy of jewellery pulls it closer still, involving the world with the body and the self in a way no other medium can.
Through making, a clear interest in textile processes wove itself into my work. A longstanding familiarity with textiles was, perhaps, the earliest form this escapism took. Using fine wire to sew into the metal became its own form of escape — the same absorbed concentration that only a good book understands.
Process
Final Pieces
Photograph: @Shannontofts
Extended Design Portfolio
This collection is the continuation of an ongoing body of work exploring narrative jewellery; design rooted in storytelling, character and literary experience. Where my degree collection established that foundation, this collection develops it further through a single, specific source: Dance of Thieves by Mary E. Pearson.
Mary E. Pearson’s novel follows Kazi of Brightmist, a thief from a powerful kingdom, whose world is visceral, sensory and deeply personal. Rather than illustrating the book, each piece translates a specific moment from the narrative into wearable form.
