Lapel pin 01

Thresholds

Project description:

Lapel Pin 01 - Explores thresholds and the universality of simultaneously entering and leaving something behind; the significance of crossing a plane or changing from one state to another with each transition capturing its own sense of meaning and joy.

The following design brings together a collection of gates under the banner of thresholds.

The gates to the City

There is something to be said about the anticipation and special feeling one gets when entering a strange new place followed by a euphoric sense of arrival! Sadly overshadowed and at the mercy of modernity and urbanisation, we believe the CITY GATE is worth remembering and celebrating :)

The Gates to a world of Civility or an object of subjugation?

Gateway of India - A monument to India’s colonial past and British Imperial rule. The ceremonial entry and arrival point for all Viceroys to India reinforcing the metaphorical threshold between the ruler and the ruled.

Now a glorified tourist destination, sometimes history gets forgotten at the expense of economic progress….

The Gateway between the spirit world and the human

Shinmei Torii - symbolically marks the transition and threshold between the mundane and sacred. The Torii provides a unique prism in understanding Japanese culture, its relationship to the spirit world and its ubiquitous place in its cities.

Fabrication Process

By combining cutting-edge 3D printing technology with the age old tradition of lost-wax casting processing, we felt it was important to merge new and old processes in the production of these pins. At SA studio we hold a deep rooted respect for master craftsmen/women who have honed, developed their skill in the pursuit of perfection, however we are equally as excited about emerging digital techniques and believe there is a real opportunity to combine the two in the so-called name of progress!

A wax rendering of the pin design is 3D printed with plaster flowing around the wax to make a mold. After the plaster sets, the wax gets melted out of the mold and the chosen precious metal gets poured in. Once the metal cools, the plaster is broken away and hand polished or plated where applicable to produce the final piece.