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His creations are evidence that simplicity and beauty can co-exist, as it is stated on his own website.
He also thinks that there are a lot of parallels between goldsmithing and real life where passion, precision, patience and persistence are all vital to a great outcome.
To be honest, it is his mindset that convinced me to do an interview with Pasha Moezzi (photo no. 1), besides his beautiful work.
Pasha is an emerging jewelry artist residing in Toronto. He discovered his true passion for jewelry while working at his father’s furniture-making workshop, where he made jewelry out of scrap metal. He obtained his Fine Arts diploma from Langara College (Vancouver) and later completed his BFA in Design Arts at Concordia University (Montreal). He then pursued goldsmith training at George Brown College where he graduated from the Jewelry Arts program in 2015.
Pasha’s work has a unique style influenced by industrial shapes and architectural forms. He has won several awards and competitions and has had solo and group exhibitions in Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto and Tehran.
Read an interesting interview with Pasha Moezzi:
1. You started your jewelry line in 2007, by using only brass and leather and introducing glass and semi-precious stones afterwards in your work. What is the concept behind your collections?
The concept behind my first series of work came from keys and locks! I was very interested in the mechanism of keys and how each dent plays a major roll for the whole mechanism to function properly. (photo no. 2 : Key collection bracelets, 2010, brass, leather, semi precious stones, glass)
My most recent collection that was a bit more on the high-end side and used precious metals and stones was based on the concept of Mega cities and the idea of a Metropolis. I have always been very drawn to the city life and city planning and I find many similarities between the world of goldsmithing and city planning where everything has to be carefully planned and each element is thoughtfully placed so on a larger scale everything can function. (photo no. 3: Little city, big city, 2014, 18k yellow and white gold, emerald, ruby)
2. What does inspire you?
The future and what it holds for us has always been very interesting to me. It was always mesmerizing for me to watch futuristic movies and comic books and see what people envision of the future. For example the movie “Metropolis” which was made in 1927 had a profound impact on me when I first saw it at the age of 17! I was amazed at how accurate they envisioned the future in 1927.
I also get inspired by industrial forms and the world of modern architecture, with its minimalist approach with clean sleek lines and the elegant curves to create something clean and majestic. (photo no. 4: Cuffs, 2012, brass, made all by hand using a table saw and a band saw, annealed and bent by hand)
Another area that has a profound effect on my work is the Art Deco period, which again ties in with the Metropolis movie. I believe the Art Deco period was a very special era in the history of Art where arts and crafts took a direction that was way ahead of its time! Designs made that period still amaze us in the 21st century – it’s almost like future happened in the past! (photo no. 5: Cleo necklace, 2011, brass, glass and leather)
3. Speaking of inspiration, do you have a favorite jewelry designer or is there someone whose collections have inspired you the most, along your creative path?
I definitely have a few idols in the world of jewelry that have impacted my style and helped me with my inspirations. I would say my most favorites are Friedrich Becker and Wendy Ramshaw who both are great artists with magnificent visions and great aesthetic and technical skills.
4. What piece of jewelry took you the longest time to make?
I would say my Metropolis necklace took me the longest to make due to its complicated structure and all the little details I had planned in the design. I designed the pattern myself on the computer, got it etched on stele and then roller printed it onto the silver sheets which was so much fun but very time consuming and required a lot of planning to achieve the form I wanted.
It also has a box catch incorporated to the design as a mechanical catch for the necklace, which took me a long time to get it to function perfectly. (photo no. 6: Metropolis Necklace, 2014-2015, sterling silver, 18k gold, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, tsavorite)
5. Which creation are you the most proud of?
That has to be my Cosmopolis earrings! And I guess the reason behind would be that I was finally able to create something so miniscule (30mm H x 10mm W) with the perfect finishing I had in mind!
Every time I look at them it’s hard to believe that I made it all myself and ran into almost zero problems. (photo no. 7: Cosmopolis earrings, 2015, 18k gold, 14k gold, sterling silver, sapphires, rubies)
6. I’ve read about your thesis collection you prepared for getting your diploma in Jewelry Arts from George Brown College, a collection which is based on Megacities and the Metropolis. Were you thinking of a certain city when designing this piece of jewelry or is it a metaphor related to urban development in general? Please tell us how did this idea come to your mind?
I was suggested by my professors at school to pick and work on a certain city, but I decided not to because I wanted my mind to be able to think outside of the box and not be limited to mimic or duplicate structures and cities that already exist in the world.
The work for this collection is an amalgamation of reality and fiction; a mix of what I have experienced in real cities and the perfect utopia I have built in my mind of all the comic books and futuristic movies I read and watched growing up mixed with a bit of my own imagination. (photo no. 8: Metropolis Necklace)
7. What’s next for Pasha Designs – Contemporary Jewelry?
Currently, I am an artist in residence at the Harbourfront Centre (HFC) in Toronto where I have free access to a magnificent studio shared with other great artists in different practices, and also working full time at Canada’s most prestigious high end jewelry house, Maison Birks, to also obtain some firsthand experience in the business side of the industry and get a taste of the bigger picture.
The next step would be to expand my own business once I feel I have all the right experiences and funding and hopefully have my own workshop/store and expose myself on a more international level. (photo no. 9: Genetic codes bracelet, 2013, brass)
8. We would love to discover new talented jewelry designers so could you recommend me someone I could interview next?
I have two magnificent artists to introduce to you as I appreciate both their personalities and works so much! True gems in the jewelry world! First one would be my magnificent professor from George Brown college – Paul McClure who recently won the governor general’s award in Canada for all his achievements and I have to say that he is one of the best teachers I have had in my life! A real mentor who works so hard and will always go out of his way for his students and encourage them to reach higher grounds.
The second artist would be Marie-Eve G. Castonguay, my fellow artist in residence at HFC. I have recently been introduced to her work and she blew my mind with her amazing creations and I absolutely recommend you to check her work out. (photo no. 10: Lollipop land, 2010, brass, glass)
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