Hubert Bao, George Brown College
“‘The Night of Silence’ is the ring I designed for the Vaccaro Family Scholarship. From a different point of view, I designed the outside view of the silent, starry night sky. With oxidized sterling silver, I was able to create a dark blue texture to represent the night sky. The light-emitting diode (LED) light under the dome is my other approach. I wanted to use different materials to introduce the element of light into the jewellery. The light passing through the gypsy-set gemstones will give a twinkle effect, like stars from the night sky.
“Many people tend to look at our world in a fixed way. I believe it is good for us to look at this world differently to be inspired. The possibility in our world is unlimited; we should not limit ourselves to a cage. I would like to explore the possibilities in jewellery design and crafting and set myself free from the cage.”
Vanessa Carrington, Selkirk College
“I chose to embody the theme by fabricating a piece based on the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium, located in Brisbane, Australia, and named after Sir Thomas Brisbane (a well-known Scottish astronomer who first mapped the southern skies in 1822). Visitors can step inside the massive structure and explore the local starry night, or peer beyond at the millions of stars that line the universe.
“I designed this hollow pendant to showcase the domed, hinged rooftop of the planetarium. The handle used to lift the rooftop is set with two night-blue sapphires, and—when lifted—reveals a rich patina and the Southern Cross constellation. Included with the piece is a handmade ball clasp that resembles an orbiting planet.”
A student at Selkirk College’s Kootenay School of the Arts, Carrington is a former technical writer who works out of a studio based on Gambier Island, B.C.
