At the VCC Annual Jewellery Design Exhibit, on until June 13th at the VCC Broadway Campus (Glen and 7th) I was drawn to the beautiful work of Iris Lo, a Scholarship Winning, First Year Designer. There were lots of spectators at the windows, but two who seemed especially excited were Wilma and Arthur, who turned out to be Iris' parents. That is what I have loved about the show, usually held at the VCC downtown campus. Everyone dresses up, the Staff is in attendance, the exhibits are extraordinary, the Students are so accomplished and so proud of their work and the Parents, well they do love to get into the photos and make introductions. Because of COVID, the Jewellery exhibit, this year is outside, a vast window display, and guess what, the parents are there. Iris gives a wonderful interview here and yes, I am including a photo of her Parents. Congratulations all! My favorite piece by Iris, is the Koi Fish Ear Cuffs. Since I am a Pisces, these call my name.

Q:  Please tell us where you are from and how this influences your work.

A: I was born in Hong Kong and my family immigrated to Canada when I was 3 years old. A lot of my experience and learning about my culture came from visits to areas like Chinatown and trips back to Hong Kong to visit family. I was also lucky enough to spend one year of high school living with my grandparents in their senior home in Hong Kong, and that experience with elders exposed me to a lot of the different cultural traditions and history within Hong Kong. My work is very much influenced by my experience - I feel that a lot of my work tries to address the intangible acts of community and meaning-making that occurs rather than drawing specifically from physical inspiration. Ordinary objects that surround us, that we use everyday, frequently have more meaning and significance to us emotionally than what they physically are. Jewellery is much the same and I love using it as a medium to convey the significance of moments or the things around us. 

Q: Who is your favourite Jewellery Designer? Where do you see this being advertised or worn? Where would you like to see your own work? (Retail, Movies, Runway?)

A: I admire so many jewellery designers that it would be so difficult to choose just one! I currently really admire Saskia Shutt; she's a British-Belgian designer who has been really pushing for a more ethical, sustainable, transparent, and responsible jewellery industry. Jewellery accounts for almost half of the world's global demand for gold and illegal mining is one of the major reasons behind the deforestation of the Amazon, one of the Earth's largest carbon sinks - so as an industry, I do think we really need to take a look at not just recycling (which is really important), but how to have better, fairer, and more sustainable practices. I also really admire Bijules Jewelry - she has really bold and unconventional designs which I love, but she also started an incubator to help develop and support emerging jewelry talent from diverse backgrounds.

Locally, I really admire Anita Sikma, Morgan Asoyuf, Erica Leal, and Kayla Lim.

Jewellery is meant to be worn, so as long as someone is wearing my work, I think I'll be happy to see it!

Q: Do you think Jewellery/Accessories should be seen more? Where?

A: Of course! The problem sometimes is that they're so tiny and so hard to photograph. I do think they should get more attention; clothes are mandatory in a certain social sense, jewellery and accessories are completely optional so they're really a chance for your style and message to shine!

On a different level, I would love to see more jewellery featured in galleries and museums - they really are tiny pieces of sculpture that require so much technique, skill, and artistic vision.

Q: Many students in your program come from different academic backgrounds and professions. Do you? How might this benefit your jewellery design future?

A: I went to a high school that specializes in fine arts and have a Bachelor's Degree in Art History. Being exposed to so many different mediums and getting all the theoretical knowledge and language to express my ideas and influences definitely helps my jewellery practice. I also previously worked as a project coordinator for my dad's sustainable building and design company. One of my main roles was materials vetting for this project seeking Full Living Building certification (currently the world's most rigorous green building certification). Through him, I got to work with some of the most amazing architects, interior designers and trades people in the city. Working with these people who are really at the top of their game and pushing an industry forward to be more accountable and sustainable, using both new technologies but really questioning how we currently do things, how we live, and how we can do better I think really informs how I go about my practice. Being in that environment really convinced me that I needed to go to jewellery school.

Q: What has been your favourite part of being at VCC so far?

A: The people for sure, the breadth of knowledge that the instructors and workshop coordinator have is truly incredible and inspiring (and super helpful!). I think I learned at least 5 new techniques for my year end project alone and having instructors with different specializations and experience definitely helps. The support from the other students is also incredible, we all come from pretty diverse backgrounds so it's always fun to bounce ideas off of each other. You learn that there are so many different ways to do one thing or get one result and you can have all this support for the type of learning or working that suits you. The equipment is also nice - it really helps to not have to spend thousands of dollars on a new rolling mill when you're first starting out.