Spirillum 'Slice' Brooches

3D-printed and hand-fabricated brooches from the Slice: Biodigital Jewellery collection. Each of these pieces has a brooch backing.

As explained by artist Paul McClure: " 'Slice' is a collection of jewellery expressing my fascination with the microscopic realm of the human body. Abstract forms refer to bacteria, viruses, cells and their structures within us. As these invisible but universal components come to define us, they also acquire cultural meaning independent of their biological definition. The highly aestheticized microscopic imagery and cutaway diagrams from popular science are particular sources of inspiration for this work: geometric forms, graphic patterns and vibrant colours. The forms are "digitally handmade" using a combination of computer modelling and 3D printing technologies with traditional metalworking techniques of forming, fabricating and finishing. Slicing through these forms reveals surprising and pleasing sections and patterns. However, the slice, like a microbe itself, exposes tensions between the benevolent and sinister, the beautiful and ugly, the fascinating and fearful."

3D-printed nylon, stainless steel
8 x 3 x 1.5 cm

Paul McClure is an Irish-Canadian artist and designer of contemporary jewellery. His work is represented in private and public collections including the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts; Canadian Museum of History; Design Museum of Barcelona; and National Museums Scotland. McClure graduated from NSCAD University, Halifax, Canada (BFA, 1989); Escola Massana, Barcelona, Spain (1990); and National College of Art and Design, Dublin, Ireland (MA, 1999). He is professor in the School of Fashion & Jewellery at George Brown College, Toronto. In 2015, McClure received the Saidye Bronfman Award, a Governor General's Award, Canada's foremost distinction for excellence in the visual arts.