chuyun lu‘s

This log documents a significant conceptual pivot, responding to my own critique that the design was “too plain” (太普通了一些) and my tutor’s advice to integrate Chinese elements to “bridge Western and Eastern cultures.” Referencing my dragon necklace from last semester and inspired by Vivienne Westwood’s use of the “Orb” (权球) as a power symbol, I began to search for an equivalent Eastern symbol of power. My initial idea, the “dragon,” was discussed and set aside due to the high risk of it being confused with “Nordic cultural dragons.” This led to the “lion” (狮子) as a more potent and specific symbol, justified by its strong representation of power in China, such as “stone lions” (石狮子) and “imperial seals” (玉玺). I spent several days creating the new design drawings shown, which mix both dragon and lion elements. After a screening process, I have selected the most satisfactory versions to develop further. Critically, while this new aesthetic direction “moves away from the human bone church element,” I reflect that it “has not deviated from the main theme” (没有偏离主题). The work is still a relatively “unisex” (中性的) piece of jewellery centred on the core concepts of “power” (权力) and “feminism” (女性主义).