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Togetherness:Anthos and Chronos brooches

Togetherness 2017. Anthos brooches 3D printed wood filament, a found twig, silver and electronic components (Tinyduino boards - a real time clock, processor with battery support, a USB shield, a protoboard, an SD card and a 140mAh lithium polymer battery). 7cmx5cmx5cm.Chronos brooches 2017 a found twig, coloured resin and stainless-steel pin. 2cm x 2cm x 2cm ©Nantia Koulidou.

Togetherness is made up of a suite of four brooches- two digital (Anthos) and two non-digital (Chronos), meant for two wearers in two countries. Each Anthos brooch works as data logger. The act of pinning the brooch on the body activates the piece, recording the time when the piece is worn. Such data logged is stored in a Micro-SD card inside the piece. This data is later used by an artisan to create the Chronos brooches that represents times when the two Anthos brooches were worn simultaneously by the two wearers. The Chronos pieces are made of multi-coloured layers of resin, which can be cut through to reveal the layers within. Similar to growth rings which shows the age of a tree, the pieces represent the relationship between two people over time. Each Chronos Brooch is made with an addition of a pin.

All four brooches are made from a single found tree twig. The twig was cut into three parts; two parts were used to create two brooches and one for a different third brooch. The form that hosts the electronics is 3d printed with a wood filament. The 3d printed wood form was chosen as a visual contrast to the physical wood, but also as a compliment to the digital function of the piece. The technology is not hidden in the piece but is a visible part of it. The pieces are similar, but not the same; the 3d form has slightly different colour, and the twigs are slightly different in shape and colour. There are slight deviations in each to give each piece a unique form, but at the same time reference to two different parts of the same whole.

The research argues that connecting people in indirect and non-intrusive ways can support personal relationships, creating seeds for conversations that can act as icebreakers within the relationship. Read more about the piece in the paper The materiality of digital jewellery from a jeweller’s perspective

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