Ebon Heath has been one of Yatzer’s greatest revelations: our post about his typographic mobiles impressed thousands of readers and travelled all around the world through the numerous posts and comments that followed in a plenty of design blogs and sites. This time Heath has done a great comeback, in collaboration with Dubai based jewelry designer Mona Ibrahim, presenting us his latest project called stereo.type jewelry. As if he knew our desires, he gives us the chance to feel his creations on our body on a daily basis. And we couldn’t ask for more! 

* Ebon Heath and his visual poetry / 16.May.09*

New York based graphic designer Ebon Heath founded his first design studio in 1993, working with fashion, music and magazines clients for an urban audience. He currently is an art director for international cause related clients and a visiting university professor at Lehman College in the Bronx (USA). Mona Ibrahim has completed multiple collections of jewelry for both the high end and international mass market. She has created a unique signature style by incorporating indigenous materials with a modern sensibility whilst pioneering new locations of the body to adorn. Together their combined knowledge of design and jewelry has created a beautiful and meaningful collection of typographic jewelry that transcends the traditional.

The first collection of this collaboration was launched June 2009 in Dubai, at the designer retail store/gallery 50 degrees. The opening sold out all samples produced and has received much acclaim in the local and regional media. This collection is all black and white in color, which reflects the same aesthetics of Ebon's larger typographic installations that accompany the jewelry launch. All the designs are made of the different unique forms each culture uses as language. This collection was both in Arabic and English, the 2 official languages of Dubai. This use of multilingual type endows the jewelry with a meaning and message (or a beautiful abstract form if u cannot read the language).

The stereo.type collection consists of laser cut leather that is worn as a cuff or a flexible to wrap or buckle around a wrist, neck, or waste. The leather bracelets reveal the skin through the cut out shapes and the layering creates patterns of letter lace. There is also over 10 pairs of earring designs from both laser cut acrylic and leather. Each earring has a message camouflaged in Arabic or English, the acrylic holding a more modern geometry and the leather being more malleable and organic in its imperfections. This collection was produced utilizing local resources of Dubai and could not have been completed, as they say, without skype, triple checking, local support, and lots of chocolate cake!

The jewelry is an extension of Ebon Heath's stereo.type project which explores the synthesis between typography and the physicality of our bodies. These experiments in language structures can expand in scale to be exhibited as installation to fill a room or minimize in scale to be worn as jewelry on the body. Currently these mobiles and installations have been exhibited in Berlin, London, Dubai, and New York. They are accompanied by photographic prints that formally document these sculptures as limited edition prints. These installations are quite labour intensive, and are similar to weaving with letters. By utilizing local students and professionals to assemble these installations, there is an inclusive relationship with the community and a new appreciation for letters from all who participate.

On the other hand, Mona Ibrahim has evolved her mastery of jewelry production techniques by combining hand crafted details with the additional mechanized element of working with lasers. Through her knowledge of the traditional craft of body adornment she wants to add warmth to the modern minimal usage of the materials leather and acrylic. From her extensive traveling and research she is able to collaborate with local artisans to include the community in the process of creation. Mona's experience enables this project to be transformed from a design to a wearable piece of art, and has also progressed her role from designer to producer. Dear Yatzer readers, there is no need to say more words about the stereo.type jewelry, it literally speaks for itself.

upcoming projects

• First deliveries of jewelry collection available for retail, Fall of 2009
• Establishing international retail opportunities and investigation into use of other materials
• Exhibit in Honk Kong (addition of Chinese to jewelry), October 2009
• Exhibit in Pakistan (addition of Urdu to jewelry), December 2009
• Collection of mobiles for the home, available in 2010