Nanotec Cybernetic Head System
It’s not often you find Sci-Fi inspired accessories which is why I was pumped to see Dominic Elvin’s work on Etsy. I spoke with Elvin over email to about what inspired his designs, check out what he had to say below and view the gallery to see our favorite pieces of Elvin’s work.
Gamma Squad: Your designs are very futuristic, are there any particular works of science fiction that inspired you?
DM: A big inspiration for me when young was from the author Isaac Asimov (Foundation series, “I Robot”) generally considered the grandfather of robotics and three laws of robotics. Most of my inspiration now comes from frontier sciences and research, nanotechnology, genetic engineering, bio sciences
GS: Your jewelry resembles technology, when you are designing them do you create a story about what they could do if they would do?
DM: When I do any design work, there has to be some basis of why its there, a reason for it being there which helps to complete the illusion, this is definitely the case with the jewellery or cybernetic accessories and reflects some research going on now for wearable tech.
GS: You mention using found materials in your profile, where do you look for the materials you use in these pieces?
DM: I use recycled materials where I can, and with the jewellery it’s usually from bits taken off old circuit boards or cables as they tend to be small and contained and often pieces of beautiful art in their own right. I can find them anywhere from old tech thrown out on the street or old hardware donated to me as I have a reputation for recycling it (one man’s rubbish is another man’s gold) to use a cliche.
GS: How long does it take to make one of your pieces?
The head systems take approx 4-5 hours over two days, the jewellery can take anything from an hour for a simple piece up to 4-5 hours for the bionic choker which is intensely complicated to make – I made four prototypes before I finally got something that worked and was possible to replicate within reason. I choose designs that reflect what I read about in science journals, format and present it in a way that is clear for myself and customers, but in the end every piece is hand made and is unique in it’s own way.