Ornamental hearing aids and a brassiere for breast cancer sufferers are among the unorthodox jewellery designs shared by Lucerne School of Art and Design students as part of their VDF school show.

The three collections showcased here were created as part of the students' undergraduate XS Jewellery degree, with XS referring both to the acronym for extra small and to "a new approach to designing and creating unique products fundamentally related to the human body".

Alongside this, the Lucerne School of Art and Design is also highlighting work created by students from two other courses within the university's product design department.

Nine projects from Lucerne's BA Textile Design students celebrate the craft and heritage inherent within their discipline, while a further nine BA Object Design students tackle social issues from racism to ableism.

BA XS Jewellery, Lucerne School of Art and Design

University: Lucerne School of Art and Design
Course: BA XS Jewellery

Course statement: 

"Whether it be jewellery, lingerie or hearing aids, whether intimate or performative, XS Jewellery students devise contemporary designs and develop artistic concepts – from people, for people – tangible, physical and very real. The bachelor's degree programme XS Jewellery materialises emotions and taboos, reflects on traditions and formulates new conventions.

"A practical hands-on approach, both in terms of manual and digital skills, is more important than ever before, representing a conscious engagement with materiality and resources. XS is performance, jewellery is culture in motion.

"Within the framework of the Virtual Design Festival, the Lucerne School of Art and Design is proud to present 22 degree projects in total, stemming from the BA XS Jewellery, BA Textile Design and BA Object Design courses, which due to Covid-19 were largely created off-campus.

"We warmly congratulate our graduates on their successful degree works, wish them much future success and hope they receive a lot of constructive feedback from the worldwide visitors to the Virtual Design Festival.

"Their degree show can also be seen online under hslu.ch/wwwerkschau and in person at the School of Art and Design, from 18 September."

Dessus et Dessous by Megan Kelso
Materials: silk, laminate and elastic

"This collection is aimed at women suffering from breast cancer. From one day to the next, women can be confronted with the loss of an identity-defining body part, triggering profound questions about their own fragility and femininity.

"Beautiful over- and undergarments can reinforce body positivity. As a trained dressmaker I understand the female body and as a jewellery maker, I am aware of the power of bodily adornments. Here, I've created a set of designs that are suitable for both everyday and occasionwear, facilitating a creative and self-assured approach towards the wearer's own body image."

Email: kelso.megan@gmail.com
Course website: hslu.ch/xs-jewellery-bachelor
Degree show: hslu.ch/wwwerkschau

Doux Leurre by Pauline Müller
Materials: metal and pearls

"This facial jewellery collection promises intensive bodily and visual experiences for the wearer and onlookers alike. Whoever engages with this facial metamorphosis, even for a short time, experiences their altered appearance with visceral force.

"With this work, I hope to create a playful yet critical exploration of the often painstaking practices of bodily or facial modification, to which individuals from all cultures have been eternally drawn. It allows us to experience how fluid the boundaries between eccentricity and absurdity can be."

Email: paulinemler@gmail.com
Course website: hslu.ch/xs-jewellery-bachelor
Degree show: hslu.ch/wwwerkschau

Do You See Me Hearing You? by Sophie Mia Willener
Materials: cast bronze and brass

"Hearing aids nowadays are designed by the industry to be as discreet as possible and as a result have become barely noticeable. The aim of this project was to design 'visually loud' hearing aids in order to make them more conspicuous and endow them with their own formal autonomy.

"Their design is derived from 19th-century ear trumpets, revitalising them as eye-catching accessories. Using various add-ons, the hearing aid becomes an item of 'listening jewellery' for the self-assured wearer."

Email: sophie.willener@bluewin.ch
Course website: hslu.ch/xs-jewellery-bachelor
Degree show: hslu.ch/wwwerkschau

Virtual Design Festival's student and schools initiative offers a simple and affordable platform for student and graduate groups to present their work during the coronavirus pandemic. Click here for more details.