Geometric Structure | Ana Khouri x Narciso Rodriguez
Ana Khouri X Narciso Rodriguez
February 2016
I often say that the process of creating jewelry is like a dialogue between the work and myself. When I collaborate with Narciso, however, it is as if we are both speaking. Narciso is a designer whose voice I have always admired. My work and his share a kind of synergy because we are both very conscious of the female form and its movement, so our designs emanate from a common desire to connect with the body. For our second collaboration, we wanted to design pieces that would appear different from every angle, without being overtly angular in themselves. I wanted them to be simple and direct in form but made to feel alive, almost active when they are worn. I immediately thought of the Bichos created by one of my favorite Brazilian artists, Lygia Clark. Her geometric structures were made from metal plates joined by hinges. She fashioned them in a way that they would mimic life: depending on which side you approach them, your perspective of them completely changes. It is almost as if they are moving. I wanted these earrings to have a similar effect so I applied a combination of finishes—green, yellow, black and a brushed coat—to a series of four shapes made from softly flattened white gold. We then gave each a brilliant polish so that they would also reflect light. As the model walks, the viewer’s eye is treated to countless things: her hair, her skin, the light, the color of the finish or the gold itself. They are deceptively two- dimensional, dancing as she moves and never at rest.
