Where It All Began: The Lost Year
Theresa Kwong
TK Metal Arts
San Francisco
Ihad been feeling less than motivated to do much during our COVID-19 quarantine, stuck in a giant creative block. I was shocked as I watched the pandemic rage through our communities, and I spent a lot of time reading the news, hoping to find any morsel of hope. At the same time, I was attracted to the form of this deadly coronavirus, with spikes growing out of this perfect sphere. Using a time capsule concept, I created this convertible brooch/pendant.
This piece is the first in a series I call The Lost Year. My plan is to make one for every two months of the first year of the pandemic, like a time capsule to record this moment in history. The sterling silver is oxidized to reflect the blackened look of the virus, with bright red embroidery floss French-knotted to represent the red spike proteins.
Hand inscriptions are carved into the surface of the disc, with words that have come to define this dark period and what we are going through: lockdown, social distancing, ventilators, toilet paper. Each word or phrase is its own story. At the center is shown the number of deaths in the U.S., which was 63,000+ at the time I finished this jewelry piece on April 30, 2020.
So often we say that a picture is worth a thousand words. With this piece, I want to make it the reverse—to bring a thousand images to people’s minds. People asked me “Why do you want to make something that reminds you of so much pain and suffering?” I believe by preserving this moment in time, we will learn not to let it happen again, that we will learn to be more prepared to deal with the next contagion.