Paris, France
“Created during this summer’s heatwave in Berlin, the piece aims to celebrate the value of water,“ claims Ariel Claudet, artist and founder of Golem design studio.
“The idea came during a hot 24-hour party in Club Der Visionaere, Berlin. In a survival move to overcome the crushing heat of one of the hottest summers Germany has ever experienced, partygoers started to grab ice cubes from the freezers and rub each other with it,” he explains.
Jewelry designer Laila El Mehelmy creates the “OoOoooOoooOh la l’ice” necklace along with Ariel Claudet, architect and founder of Golem architecture and design studio in Paris in order to playfully highlight that nowadays water is becoming a luxury.
According to the designers, “water, the most essential substance of all, is the most coveted rough material, diamonds are nothing else than glorified pieces of transparent rocks cut in all sorts of weird shapes.”
Instead of precious diamonds, the necklace is decorated with seven ice cubes that melt gradually in 30 minutes due to the wearer’s body heat.
In a survival move to overcome the crushing heat of one of the hottest summers Germany has ever experienced, partygoers started to grab ice cubes from the freezers and rub each other with them.
In the midst of this dance and sweat orgy, the two designer’s hearts were balancing between enjoying the pleasures of it all or breaking down saddened by this post-apocalyptic scene.
On the next day, in the course of a conversation about this unique experience, something struck the designers, as water sources are being privatized and water scarcity is striking all countries across the globe, water is turning from an overlooked commodity into one of the most sought after luxury goods.
The “OoOoooOoooOh la l’ice” necklace comes with a 3d printed, custom-made silicone tray that allows wearers to refill and freeze its cubes.
After being frozen, the necklace boasts seven ice cubes, each linked by solid silver beads. Larger beads mark the center of where each ice cube sits.
After observation, the designers found out that the cubes melt after around 30 minutes on warm skin, or an hour when worn atop clothing.
“This process induced by the heat from the wearer’s body reflects the human impact on natural cycles. It shows how humankind acts as a catalyst to natural processes and dangerously accelerates global warming and desertification,” state the designers.
Laila El Mehelmy claims that “there is a choreography to it. We like the idea of the wearer appropriating the piece. As designers, we are very happy to put something out there and see its potential grow with what people make of it, from a techno party to a fancy dinner. It adds different dimensions to the work, and that’s what makes it exciting for us.”
When not frozen, the jewelry can be worn as a regular silver-beaded necklace or choker yet the creators encourage their clients to use other liquids too in order to get the cooling effect.
Project: OoOoooOoooOh la l’ice necklace
Designers: Golem
Design Team: Laila El Mehelmy and Ariel Claudet
Manufacturer: Golem
Photographers: Guillaume Blondiau
