Faces by The Sartorialist: Qiu Jia develops exclusive art piece for Luxottica
updated the 6 October 2015 à 23:15
The Chinese paper cutting artist was invited to present her interpretation of eyewear as a fashion accessory in her creative medium. Take a look at what her nimble fingers came up with.
Chinese paper cutting is no easy feat. Dating back to more than 1500 years ago, the art form is steeped in culture and tradition, as it’s also been used in ancient activities of worshipping gods and ancestors. While the craft may be every bit traditional, many have spun a contemporary aesthetic to it. One of them being Chinese artist, Qiu Jia.
In collaboration with Luxxotica’s digital initivative, Faces of The Sartorialist, that gathers interpretations of eyewear as a style statement, Qiu Jia delivered her notion in her creative medium. Titled, ‘A Sight of Zen‘, the artwork is based on her favorite optical frame, theRayBan Clubmaster and is brimming with zen-like sensibilities. By crafting trees within the ocean and sky, in the sight of the eyes, Qiu Jia uses the motif to portray a clearer view of the world as trees in Chinese mythology are seen as the bridge between heaven and Earth.
The dramatic lashes on the other lens could be seen as an extension of the tree branches and visually creates an asymmetrical shape. While the paper-cut pattern itself is stark black, the gold background serves to add a tinge of orientalism to the otherwise modern design.
“The collaboration with Luxottica is very enjoyable! Optical glasses have become a must-have in my life, not only for clearer sight, but also a fashionable accessory. Moreover, in my mind, the optical frame is like a bridge to connect outside nature world with our inner mind. Glasses can give us a clearer world. With the optical lens, a clearer world is right before the eyes while the heart gets purified. That is my concept of this art piece,” said Qiu Jia.
Alas, we can only fathom the level of dexterity and nimble fingers that went into creating such an intricate piece of work – with just a pair of scissors essentially. This definitely serves to give us a wider view of paper cutting used in contemporary forms.
Tarandip Kaur
