Oria Qi Zhang: Reflections on Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk aesthetics and Asian culture for jewelry in which maximalism and functionality find surprisingly ironic consensus: the idea of a young, multidisciplinary artist amuses and makes us think
Oria Qi Zhang is a Chinese designer who approaches the jewelry world with a multidisciplinary approach. Fresh from her degree at Central Saint Martins, she completed her BA (Hons) in Jewellery Design with Cyber Noodle Rush, an extravagant collection inspired by Japanese fast food and Cyberpunk. His “cyber noodles” are functional jewelry items made from 3D printed resin and pieces of gold-plated bronze. «Exploring new materials and the way they interact with the body helps me generate concepts that reflect the times we live in,» she explains. Starting with ramen and instant noodles, quick and convenient foods that are extremely popular in Asia, Oria imagined a future world in which technology will increasingly replace nature, even in giving life to its fruits, making us reflect on the despotic aspects of progress and the ease with which certain principles govern it.
