THE CREATION OF CONTEMPORARY JEWELRY FROM THE PERMACULTURE IN POOMJAI GARDEN

Abstract

This research article aims to discover essential permaculture principles in Poomjai Garden and integrate the knowledge with aesthetic value. In order to create pieces and materials for contemporary jewelry, natural resources inside the Poomjai Garden have been used at their maximum capacity. The essential permaculture principles in Poomjai Garden that this qualitative research has discovered are as follows: 1) The maintenance of the old-fashioned lifestyle of lychee gardeners for more than one hundred years is to protect natural resources and preserve original local wisdom, 2) The Integrated Farming creates biological relations and agricultural consumption across the year because each plant is fruitful in different times, 3) The usability of biological resources and waste at their highest possibility and 4) The building of relationships and participation between people in the community. These principles have been integrated with aesthetic philosophy to translate the concept through contemporary jewelry mediums. The study started with creating the material – Agricultural Waste Composite, which reflected the local identity by processing agricultural and plastic wastes in a simple and low-cost way. Afterward, this material was designed into contemporary jewelry emphasizing the aesthetic of natural elements: colors, shapes, and forms representing the connection and fruitful relationship inside the Poomjai Garden. In conclusion, this research has established knowledge in designing and making contemporary jewelry for the environment to encourage people to understand the importance of balancing the life of human beings and nature.