BY HAND
WORDS: 313
ESTIMATED READING TIME: 2M
INSIDE PILAR OLAVERRI'S HOME STUDIO, WHERE JEWELRY, ART, AND DESIGN MEET.
By Megan Liu
Pilar Olaverri is known for translating architectural forms into wearable art pieces; for her, there is no real divide between the mediums. Whether she's working on a sleek and shapely bangle or a tall, geometric sculpture, the gesture remains the same, refined intuitively by hand.
Born to a Puerto Rican father and Spanish mother, Pilar's heritage pulses through her craft, its duality both a source of inspiration and a point of tension. Her process is an extension of the self, in which identity is first imposed and then uncovered. In Pilar's work, the act of making is a conversation between material and memory. She grants freedom to the objects she creates, allowing them to evolve gradually into their final forms.
Pilar invited Beyond Noise into her home studio in Brooklyn, speaking on the origins and final expressions of her jewelry and sculpture. She returns, always, to a central philosophy, translated below:
"Si pudiera articular mi trabajo en una sola frase: Es la búsqueda y abstracción de formas en otras formas, donde soy yo quien controla la línea, la textura, el peso y el color, en busca de objetos con su propia esencia: que afirman su presencia y reclaman su lugar."
(*If I could articulate my work in a single sentence: It is the pursuit and abstraction of form within form, where l am the one shaping line, texture, weight, and color, in search of objects with their own essence: those which assert their presence and claim their place.")
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Pilar Olaverri, a designer based in New York, showed her Cabuya collection as part of the WANTED Launch Pad platform. The illuminated sculptures are hand-fabricated using LED lights. Rather than craft typical static fixtures on a base, she wanted to capture the fluidity of falling lines that emulate a sketch. Olaverri noted her Puerto Rican and Spanish heritage, and said that the mix of cultural influences at the fair added to its appeal. “There’s such a different energy here, and you can see the appreciation of traditional craft passed down from each generation, but it is updated with the latest technology.”
Anna Zappia MAY 28, 2024
