Scan Magazine | Big Nordic Design Special | Made in Norway
Designer Hanne Undlien.
The human body as inspiration for jewellery Using the body as a canvas for the art of jewellery is nothing new. However, the distinctive use of the beauty, functionality and biology of the human body to inspire jewellery design is a fresh approach, courtesy of designer Hanne Undlien. By Maria Lanza Knudsen | Photos: Aliona Pazdniakova
With a workshop in Oslo, Norway, Hanne Undlien creates collections of handmade jewellery that is delicately simple yet timeless in appearance. Her primary choice of material is 925 sterling silver, while a range of other materials, from diamonds to gold and tsavorite, are also used in her designs.
The human body as inspiration In her work, the human body is the source of all inspiration. She is a qualified doctor, so this fascination of the interaction, precision and almost limitless possibilities of the body makes sense. “Of all of nature’s masterpieces, the human body is surely the most spectacular,” says Undlien. “The human body is a work of engineering art with inimitable masterful mechanisms.” 42 | Issue 87 | April 2016
Through her jewellery collections, Undlien aims to replicate the beauty, functionality and gentle lines and rhythms of the body. Her wish is for all her jewellery to be aesthetically pleasing, functional and sit comfortably on the body. “My happiest moments in jewellery design are when I recreate some of the body’s finely tuned mechanisms in a new design and find that the jewellery’s main attribute – its beauty – has transpired almost by itself,” Undlien says.
cufflinks is a tribute to the hamate bone in the human wrist that protrudes towards the shirt cuff. The Cellula collection gives homage to human bone cells and is made up of various connected circles. Finally, the Condylus rings are named after the round prominence at the finger joints. Her unique inspiration and the timelessness of her collections have captured the eyes of the industry. She was recently invited to showcase her work at Oslo Treasure, the Norwegian jewellery show associated with Oslo Fashion Week. “It’s exciting to see my collection on stage,” she says. “I hope to create jewellery that appeals to generations to come.”
Latin attributes Latin is the common language used to describe the body around the world, and Undlien has purposefully chosen appropriate Latin names for her jewellery collections. Her Hamatum collection of
To view Undlien’s full collections, please visit: www.undlien.oslo.no