Statement
Korean Paper Jewelry
Jiseung Jewelry
"These characteristics of 'Hanji' came to me as a very suitable material to freely express the volume of jewelry without the restriction of weight."
I have always had a deep interest in traditional crafts in Korea, and I have learned traditional crafting techniques from artisans in each field to create reinterpretations of traditional jewelry. While exploring and experimenting with the material properties and craft techniques of various traditional arts—ranging from metalwork and Korean traditional needlework, known as 'Gyubang crafts,' to fiber art, traditional knotting, natural dyeing, bulrush craft, and Hanji (Korean paper) crafts—I eventually encountered Hanji and Jiseung(paper weaving) crafts.
Hanji is a paper made in Korea using a traditional method from the bark of mulberry trees. It is highly breathable, durable, and has excellent preservation qualities. When woven with single or double strands into three-dimensional forms, it retains its shape even when wet, showcasing remarkable durability while remaining lightweight. These qualities of Hanji make it an ideal material for expressing volume in jewelry without weight limitations, offering me immense freedom in my creative work.
My jewelry is crafted using “Hanji (Korean traditional paper)” as the primary material, utilizing “Jiseung Craft”, a traditional Korean paper-crafting technique. “Jiseung” refers to long, twisted strands of Hanji, and Jiseung craft involves finely cutting and twisting Hanji by hand to create cords that can be fashioned into various objects. Known in pure Korean as “Noyeokgae, this craft originated during the Joseon Dynasty, a time when paper was precious. Scholars would reuse paper from studied books by cutting, twisting, and weaving it into various household items. In those resource-scarce times, these paper crafts were cherished as luxurious household items among the upper class.
Today, these extraordinary works are displayed as relics in museums, and it felt regrettable for me to see them preserved only as artifacts. I wanted to breathe new life into them, bringing them into our daily lives through jewelry. This desire naturally led me to create Jiseung jewelry, expanding the traditional craft technique—typically used for household items—into the realm of contemporary art jewelry. Through this work, I aim to introduce new expressive possibilities for Hanji and Jiseung craft, breaking the boundaries of conventional forms.
My Jiseung jewelry is completed through a series of processes that begin with creating threads from Hanji and continuously connecting and weaving the paper together. I take strips of Hanji cut thin and long, rubbing them between my thumb and index finger to create single strands. Two single strands are then twisted together to form a double strand. Using only my hands without any tools, I weave the strands together, treating the single strands as the weft and the double strands as the warp, crossing them systematically. Once a specific shape is formed, I coat it with diluted rice paste two to three times to finish. From the primary material to the finishing touches, everything comes from nature, and the repetitive actions of connecting and weaving without cutting allow me to enter a state of calmness and naturalness. It feels as if I have become one with nature...
Jiseung work is a tool that awakens the nature within me and a time for meditation. The desire to continually create something bubbling up inside me as tangible forms draws me into my work. After a long process, when the final creation emerges, I feel a pleasing and intriguing emotion, as if I am encountering the part of myself within. In essence, the work is an act of meeting myself. Hanji serves as a tool and challenge to express the deeper aspects of who I am, as well as an enjoyable exploration. I want to conduct more diverse experiments with Jiseung jewelry in the future, and not only carry on traditional techniques but also develop my own skills and voice as an artist.