Topoi – a piece of digital jewellery
Topoi 2017. Materials: Milliput epoxy putty, coal, oxidised silver, magnifying lens 10x, found objects, electronics components (a capacity sensor, an LED light, a Teensy 3.2 board and a tiny battery) ©Nantia Koulidou.
Topoi is a hand-held piece of digital jewellery containing tiny microfilm images from two countries that are significant to the owner. The piece is composed of a digital and a non-digital element. The digital part resembles a rock formation that is made of modelling putty with embedded crushed coal and oxidised silver. Within the piece are electronic components and layers of microfilm which are visible through a viewing window made from the edge of a found thimble. The non-digital part of the piece is a magnifying lens mounted in a silver frame, with a handle made from a found teaspoon. This lens allows the owner to look into the rock shaped form.
A light source is required from within the form in order to view the images when using the magnifying lens and this is activated in response to human touch. When a person holds the digital piece, the surface of the piece, (being made of silver) conducts electricity and turns on a small LED light. The capacity sensor detects when the contact is made, and the LED light gradually responds to the human touch and pressure of the palm by slowly lighting up. When the contact is broken, the light goes out instantly, however, when a person holds the piece tightly for a while, the light reaches full intensity and stays illuminated for a brief period of time after contact has been broken. With external light alone, only the first layer of microfilm images is visible, however by activating the internal LED light, the person can view the other images on layers, which appear and recede by manipulating the magnifying lens. This gives the opportunity to peek briefly through the glass and interact with the images in short bursts, before the light fades gradually again.Read more about the piece in the paper The materiality of digital jewellery from a jeweller’s perspective
