Anneli Oppar: Wallpaper* Next Generation 2021

Our Next Generation 2021 showcase shines a light on 21 outstanding graduates from around the globe, Wallpaper’s pick of the best new talent in seven creative fields. Here, we profile jewellery designer and Estonian Academy of Arts, Tallinn graduate Anneli Oppar.

(Image credit: Anneli Oppar)

Oppar uses digital technologies to create jewellery pieces that explore the concept of time in hypnotising detail. Titled The Actual Calculations, her collection of 3D-printed nylon and stainless steel brooches and rings attempts to impose some order on time’s infinite nature. The series is based on the idea of Oppar retracing the steps she used to make around a pond during her childhood, this endless encircling forming the cornerstone of her work.

Anneli Oppar

Anneli Oppar. Dream collaborator: Patrícia Domingues

(Image credit: Anneli Oppar)

‘The time spent by the pond is difficult to measure,’ explains Opar, who counted the steps around the pond in order to somehow define the human perception of time, and found a pattern in these endless loops – an accuracy encapsulated in the precise nature of the 3D-printing she uses to create her jewellery. By juxtaposing these calculated judgments against the cloudy concept of time, she is free to play with static yet swirling forms. In her hands, this mesmerising repetition cuts undulating silhouettes, making for elegant adornments.

INFORMATION

@annelioppar

Hannah Silver is the Art, Culture, Watches & Jewellery Editor of Wallpaper*. Since joining in 2019, she has overseen offbeat design trends and in-depth profiles, and written extensively across the worlds of culture and luxury. She enjoys meeting artists and designers, viewing exhibitions and conducting interviews on her frequent travels.