Press Release
A' Design Award in Fine Arts and Art Installation Design Goes to Blessed Child Rings by Britta Schwalm
The international grand jury of the 2014 - 2015 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Britta Schwalm for fine arts and art installation design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, March 28, 2015 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Blessed Child Rings by Britta Schwalm, designed for Blessed Child (Your 'Glueckskind'), has been granted the A' Design Award in the Fine Arts and Art Installation Design category. The recognition forms part of the 2014 - 2015 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The A' Design Award Explained
The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.
About Blessed Child Rings
The Blessed Child rings are a promise for love: Baby Jamie cuddles up to the inside of the ring and trusts its life to the hands of the mother. The baby is laid on its back sucking its thumb. It is the mental vision of her unborn child that every pregnant woman has in her mind. The ring symbolises the unconditional mutual bond of trust between infant and mother and pays homage to this trust. Baby Sam is on top of the world, safe, healthy and happy. The wearer carries the baby with pride, presenting herself as a confident mother. The ring is a band saying: „Trust me, you are loved!"
About Britta Schwalm
Britta Schwalm is an experienced goldsmith and graphic designer. She is working with heart and soul. As a goldsmith she is specialised in making jewellerydesign in customer request and upcycling. Her workshop is located in Langen/Hessen, near Frankfurt/Main in Germany. The project "Blessed child" combines the skills of both of her professions in a unique way. Basic part in the manufacturing process is modern 3D technology. She was part of german TV docutainment "Hallo Schatz" as the expert for jewellry because she is an upcycling specialist. She was awarded with national and international prices.
Award Record
Britta Schwalm is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.
About the A' Fine Arts and Art Installation Design Award
The A' Fine-Art Design Award is an international fine-art design competition recognizing best fine-art works by leading fine-art artists and creators worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to artists, painters, sculptors and ceramicists from all countries. Typical entries include sculptures, paintings, installations, photographs, drawings and mixed media works. The awarded art designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/fine-art
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/37633
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/37633
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!37633
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/144986
- Further Information from the Laureate: http://www.dein-glueckskind.de
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Blessed Child Rings
- Function
- Rings
- Category
- Fine Arts and Art Installation Design
- Discipline
- Communication Design
- Industry
- Arts
- Colors
- Dark Khaki, Burly Wood, Linen, Peru and Sienna
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Blessed Child (Your 'Glueckskind')
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Britta Schwalm
- Country
- Germany
- Recognition
- A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2014 - 2015
- Design ID
- #37633
Credits
- Team
- Martin Schellhas
- Image Credits
- Hr. Schäfer, MPS, Pforzheim/Germany
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- The Blessed Child rings give physical representation to a very special feeling: The deep connection between mother and child. Blessed Child are 2 rings: The first ring hides a baby on the inside: when you wear it on your finger the secret of the ring is not visible to others. Only the wearer of the ring feels the baby. The second ring is like a cot for the baby - it snuggles up to the outer ring, visible to everyone. The baby is comfortable and safe. It lies on its stomach, thumb in mouth, radiating feelings of trust and satisfaction.
- Inspiration
- The rings "Blessed Child" symbolize the promise of mutual trust. A symbol of the instinct to protect and nurture children, especially your own. The symbol for love. Furthermore they are an expression of the appreciation of a child who is special to the wearer of the ring. Not least a stillborn child. This appreciation can also express reminiscence of your own childhood, of one's own "inner child". (My inspiration was my son)
- Research
- Design research was mad by building modells. I tried a fiew positions in which the baby could lie without hurting the finger or being cumbersome to the wearer. The only way to be save was testing the ring in daily routine.
- Challenge
- The form-language of design is naturalistic and simple. A playful and kitschy style was deliberately avoided, to give the wearer the freedom to assign her own emotions and attitudes to the ring. The presentation of the baby is indeed authentic and the body round babyish, although individual facial features were deliberately avoided to ensure the symbolic character. For this reason, the child's sex is not defined. The form-finding of the baby archetype was a complex design process.
- Realization and Technology
- First drafts of the rings originated from sketches and hand-carved wax models. Thereafter, the rings were designed with 3Design, which is specifically for jewelry. Additionally 3Shaper was used, which specializes in organic and figurative representations. From the data generated wax models of residue-free wax were printed by the company MPS, using Rapid Prototyping. These were then cast in silver. In the final stage, the rings were hand polished to ensure absolute smoothness.
- Operation and Interaction
- The rings are a way of honouring the connection and love to a child. They are a means to preserve these memories, emotionally in the heart as well as physically on the finger. The rings can be made in any preferred alloy e.g. gold, platinum. Ther is the possibility for customization. Both can be engraved inside, e.g. with name and date of birth. Especially in the ring with the baby on the inside offers itself to provide the outside with a gemstone. This could be a diamond or any other gemstone.
- Project Duration and Location
- Since my son is born in 2011 I've tried to visualize him on and in a ring. It took some time to find the right tools get it properly. In 2013 I got information about 3shaper, a 3D program that can design figurative elements. Now I was able to build the rings as I had seen them in my vision. The rings were exhibited in december 2014 in the Museum angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt am Main in Germany.
- Specifications
- Diameter app. 22 m x 7 mm The rings are proper, not to heavy, but also not too airy
- Keywords
- ring, baby, blessed child, glueckskind, sternenkind, inner child, sternenkinder, glueckskinder, glueckskindringe, sternenkindringe
