For their fifth anniversary, Arts Thread collaborated with WGSN and Coloro on the Global Creative Graduate Showcase 2024. This showcase was open to all undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate art and design disciplines for those that have graduated between September 2023 - August 2024.
We recently chatted to London College of Fashion, UAL alum Jingyao Wang, BA (Hons) Fashion Jewellery, who was one of the winners in the Jewellery, Photography, and Contemporary Craft specialisms.
Firstly, I am incredibly honoured and excited to be the winner of the Arts Thread 2024 Global Creative Graduate Showcase. It is a great validation of my learning and creativity in the field of jewellery. It also means that my work can be seen on a vast and influential platform, allowing more people to understand and connect with the ideas and emotions that I am trying to convey. I have put a lot of effort into the entire creative process, from conceptualising and designing, to crafting every detail, and have experienced many unprecedented challenges and self-doubts, and this award makes me feel that all the hard work is worthwhile, and gives me more confidence to continue to work in this field, explore more possibilities, and move forward to a higher goal of artistic creation.
As far as I know, the Arts Thread Global Creative Graduate Showcase aims to bring together outstanding graduates from art and design colleges and universities around the world. It brings together works from different disciplines and builds a platform for young creative talents to showcase themselves, communicate and interact with each other, and be discovered by the industry. It was born out of the art and design industry's emphasis on emerging power, and the desire to break down geographical limitations, so that creativity from diverse cultural backgrounds can collide and mingle with each other.
The organisers saw that many graduates had excellent and promising works every year but lacked a unified and influential channel to showcase them, so they created this competition. As time goes by, it has been expanding, attracting more participation across colleges and students, and has become an important event that graduates look forward to with anticipation. Moreover, many well-known brands, enterprises and art organisations pay attention to this competition, from which they tap into the potential of creative talents and projects.
Among my submissions, I presented my graduation collection ‘Lost in Dreamland,’ which encapsulates my design philosophy and approach to storytelling. The competition asked participants to share their creative process, conceptual depth and technical execution, and the broader message behind their work.
This project draws inspiration from my childhood memories of a small amusement park, which served as our fantasylands. For adults, these parks are no longer merely physical spaces, but rather, they evoke dreams of childhood. Over time, while larger entertainment venues may have supplanted these amusement parks, they retain their magic and imagination in our memories.
To express this sentiment, I created a wearable art installation that transforms these amusement park elements into a type of enchanting jewellery. These pieces are not merely decorative objects; they serve as magical tools to guide adults back to their childhood dreams. For instance, by turning the Carousel, the wearer can symbolically reverse time and space, reconnecting with their childhood dreams.
The design of the back of the Ferris Wheel incorporates a dial, meaning that as one turns the dial, time is also being reversed. The day and night on its front represent the view the wearer sees as he or she travels through time. As for The Rotor, Roller Coaster, and Pirate Ship, they all have their unique way of going back in time. Each piece represents a unique time and space, inviting participants to rediscover hidden treasures in their memories. The central theme of stars adds mystery and nostalgia, encouraging wearers to reconnect with their inner child. Also, star embellishments and glowing gemstones enhance the overall experience, enticing the wearer to explore and rediscover their inner child.
In creating these pieces, I aim to evoke a sense of nostalgia and magic, transporting wearers to a time when a funfair was the realm of endless possibilities. By integrating elements of these cherished memories into wearable art, I hope to inspire adults to revisit and cherish the innocence and joy of their childhood. This project not only celebrates the past but also encourages a reawakening of dreams and imagination, reminding us that the magic of our childhood is never truly lost.
Read more about Jingyao’s project, Lost in Dreamland on ArtsThread and UAL Showcase
What have you been working on since graduating?
After graduation, I have been actively expanding my development path in the field of fine jewellery. I am continuing to deepen and improve my portfolio, further polishing some design ideas that were conceived but not yet fully realised when I was a student and trying to apply new materials and techniques to make my works more mature, more artistically valuable and more attractive to the market.
At the same time, I am also actively looking for job opportunities in the luxury industry, so that I can accumulate more contacts and resources for my future career, and at the same time, I can learn some of their operation scale and marketing management knowledge, which is extremely lacking for me at the moment.
In addition, I am using various online and offline platforms to showcase my work, further hone my skills, actively participate in some of the industry's communication activities, get to know more peers, seniors and potential customer groups, and hope to gradually build up my own personal brand, so that more people will appreciate and love my work. I will continue to develop new collections while carrying them all out, and continue to explore the intersection of jewellery, social culture and emotional expression.
The programme offers a great platform for anyone who loves jewellery design. My advice would be to be bold and push your creative boundaries, it is a space to truly discover your voice as a designer. Make full use of the teaching facilities and the support of your tutors, dig more into the points within yourself that really interest you, and don't hesitate to realise the ideas in your head - practice is always better than fantasy, and it's a long but very rewarding process. Above all, stick to your vision and enjoy learning from every experience.