A SHORT CONVERSATION WITH DESIGNER, DORRY HSU – BY SOPHIE JOY WRIGHT

Aesthetic of Fears.Dorry Hsu (11)

Dear Diane and Shaded Viewers,

Originating from Taiwan, the creative interests of Dorry Hsu started in photography, but after travelling to Florence to study as a silversmith, she found a love for making objects. Dorry hasn't yet finished her Master's degree in metalwork and jewellery at London's Royal Academy of Art, but her recent collection of 3D printed jewellery and masks, named "The Aesthetic of Fears", is getting attention from Vogue Italia and The Victoria and Albert Museum, and was recently selected as a finalist for Swarovski's International Talent Support.

Aesthetic of Fears.Dorry Hsu (2)Aesthetic of Fears.Dorry Hsu (3)

Metalwork and 3D printing are seemingly opposites in process and in aesthetic. What attracted you to 3D printing, and will you return to metal again perhaps?

I really like the material quality of metal. However, I was attracted by 3D printing with its ability to work with colour in a unique way, and with its effects of transparency. Also, it provides the possibility to render complex forms that are too difficult to make by hand. Actually, I am thinking about combining metal with 3D printing for my future projects.

This colour transparency with the gradient palette is quite beautiful.

The gradient colour comes from the representation of emotion. The gradient can perfectly represent the transition of emotion.

Aesthetic of Fears.Dorry Hsu
The concept of your most receny collection is interesting. Can you elaborate a little on "The Aesthetic of Fears", your inspiration, and perhaps any social/political relevance to this…or am I delving too far?

The project starts from a dialogue with myself, with the purpose to release my own fears to achieve the freedom that I am looking for. As part of this process, I started to record my fears for forty days and through this, I came to understand the contradiction between reality and the functioning of my imagination. For instance, every time i'd cross the road, I imagined that I was hit by a car. Passing the road is an immediate experience but death is abstract. All of my fears are related to the unpredictability of death, but death itself is a subject that I don't really have fear of.

With my further research into fears, I also realised that fear is not only the negative emotion, but also provides a positive energy of life; an excitement about new things. During the dialogue with myself, I realised that most of my fears come from childhood and my many life experiences within my culture; mainly the fear that I was born with different perspectives to my family, and to my culture. I stand with my own right to live with my own perspectives, rather than obeying the expectations of my society with the idea of marriage and the responsibilities as a female.

Aesthetic of Fears.Dorry Hsu (10)
Dorry will participate in an exhibition at Candid Arts Trust Gallery for the London Design Festival on September 18th-22nd.

 

Happy Tuesday,

Sophie

mm
Sophie Joy Wright

@sophiejoywright

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