The locus of Wynn Wynn's life at Firma
MANILA, Philippines - For her 2011 collection for Firma, Wynn Wynn Ong goes back to the essential with her chosen theme: “Life” and its ensuing trilogy — “To Sea, Or Not To Sea,” “All Bark, Some Bite,” and “Take Flight.”
“Life” actually had its beginnings when she had an exhibit at the Tama Gallery in New York earlier this year. Two of the pieces made it to the cover of Women’s Wear Daily: “Stella,” a spider on a cuff of simulated walnut bark and “Naughty Boy,” a nautilus shell clutch with a lining of 800 individually knotted pearls. Whereas the New York collection featured species found in America, the collection for Firma explores Philippine flora and fauna.
“‘Life’ was actually born simply as a way of preserving and capturing nature,” relates the designer. “A few months before starting production for this series, I was in Anilao where I used the time to think about the focus for a new collection. I usually anchored mine on a theme, a feeling, or a technical challenge.” But this time was different: “Some things had changed in my life. I had two little grandsons. One was then two; the other one, just nine months old. As I looked out at the view, I saw the world that they would inhabit. I realized then that I had also seen a world they would never see.”
The gradual depredation of species is visceral and tangible to the designer who has a weekend house in the Batangas town, right by the sea, open to the Amihan and Habagat, the trade and southwest winds, and with views of the sea and trees on three sides. “We see fish hunting and chasing each other in the reef right below our deck. Their colors are vivid. Wild parrots, black and yellow orioles, and bright-winged kingfishers sometimes fly right through our rooms. Fireflies dot the wild grass ceiling 20 feet above us, each night. But they grow less in number each year.”
With this realization, Wynn Wynn decided to capture what she could still see. “I tried to capture the barks of the trees that we love, and in whose shade we dream. I wanted to capture the bright wing of a bird, or retrace the path of ants as they meandered through fallen tree trunks on our property.”
And entrap them she did, in highly-realistic, hand-forged bark cuffs with sculptured gold crickets set with green tourmaline beads and faceted rubelite eyes. Another one had a ménage-a-trois, set individually with faceted spessartite garnets, citrine cabochons and rose cut London blue topaz. “Apart from the Pack” has a real feather tail connected to the bird with carnelian eyes and brown tourmaline-studded body. A silk satin bow-tied hand corsage is more coquettish and makes a statement with a stunning, sculptured stag-horn fern center accented by a large dendritic agate cabochon. “My challenge was to do it in ways that would help preserve their habitat,” explains the designer. She thus used recycled metal and sustainable, renewable, or found material whenever possible. She also used seashells that washed up ashore after heavy winds or storms. Her trademark masterful combination of textures and materials, however, is still evident, with an exciting selection of new finishes and patinas that are a result of the past year’s experimentation together with the artisans in her Manila studio.
The “Nereid” necklace is a wonderful combination of a tree bark finish, woven wild grass, blue-banded agate and a large Brazilian champagne citrine. “Amphitrite” has a more mottled surface combined with a cluster of black lip abalone and a high-grade copper rutile quartz and labradorite.
“I tried to diminish my carbon footprint in their crafting and to be aware of the impact each of my choices made on the environment my grandsons would grow up in.” For Wynn Wynn, this was indeed the locus of “Life.”
The Wynn Wynn Ong “Life” collection is available at Firma, ground floor, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City. For information, call 757-4009 or 0915-7859544, or e-mail firma2@vasia.com.
