E2RD / SoFTI, 2021
E2RD / SoFTI, 2021
artificial coral, installation
The author has been working on the idea of artificial coral since 2018, when she designed acrylic glass coral. Since 2020, the designer has been researching sustainable materials and developing artificial coral, which she will present for the first time at EKO 8.
SoFTI is an artificial coral made with 3D printing technology from a sustainably oriented material.
The research and computer design of artificial coral is a fascination with the creative approach of scientists who successfully revive coral reef ecosystems with 3D printing technology and artificial reproduction.
SoFTI is an evolving project and represents the coexistence of computer-aided design of soft and rounded shapes with the sensuality of perceiving and preserving nature. The result of the first phase is a sustainable product - jewelry or a small sculpture made of porcelain, which does not burden the environment and offers an alternative to real or plastic coral. The inspiration fot the design are the healthy, juicy coral micro-mouths surrounded by stinging stingers. A mouth full of colors, of life. A safe home from predators.
EKO 8 will feature a white coral skeleton illustrating an existential threat, a dead remnant of coral tissue. SoFTI, an artificial 3D coral, with its absence of colors reflects the impact of climate change on the ominous bleaching of coral.
Bojana Kovačič Zemljič (1975), a member of the Slovenian Designers' Association, is a designer of designer jewelry of the E2RD brand, whose key guide is originality and a bohemian-elegant attitude. In her work, she adores creative experiments and rebellious work outside the fashion and trendy calendar - she does not create seasonal collections, but advocates slow and ecologically conscious fashion, underlined by personal style.
