FAILED BALLOON PROCEDURE

"Failed balloon procedure" is a piece of jewellery to be worn around the neck, which has references to a Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI). This non-surgical procedure, which is also known as a balloon procedure, is used when the coronary arteries of the heart are narrowed.

The heart is a muscle pump that is supplied with oxygen from the coronary arteries. If the artery has been narrowed due to the build-up of plaque, a balloon procedure can be used to eliminate or reduce the narrowing and re-establish blood flow to the heart. A catheter is inserted into the affected artery via the groin. At the end of the catheter is a small inflatable balloon that pushes the blockage aside to allow the blood to flow freely again. A small wire mesh – a so-called stent – is usually inserted as well to ensure that the artery remains open.

"Failed balloon procedure" relies on the visual similarity of the long balloons with blood vessels – the inserted balloon-shaped expansion consists of sections of balloon animal balloons that have been sewn together to acquire a mesh structure and thus a similarity with the stent. Unfortunately, the balloon expansion in the piece does not work as intended. Instead it has become a reservoir for the white chocolate that is being shoved into the blood vessels ... a huge blood clot (resulting in black, dead blood vessels) ... or a stash of sweets close at hand for the incorrigible chocolate fiend.

The term “balloon procedure” also refers to the creative process for the jewellery piece, and the title suggests that "Failed balloon" procedure is not a conventional necklace, despite the almost classic “pearl” necklace section.

THE AIR WE BREATHE/CIGARETTE CASE

A representation of smoker’s lungs full of muck, with bright green slime in the alveoli – a deterrent akin to the mandatory warning labels on cigarette packs. The red elastic Xs – ‘NO’ marks – highlight the danger.

On the other hand, there is a certain childish, naive and cartoon-like cheerfulness about the piece, which also resembles a branch with crisp green leaves. The resemblance in form is interesting, because the underlying meanings are so contradictory. And it reminds us that an individual person’s health condition is not only a matter of smoking. We are part of a larger cycle and depend on vital oxygen being produced in the first place.

The piece is anatomically accurate in the sense that the windpipe actually does branch out into the two main bronchi, each continuing down into the lung and branching out into ever smaller bronchi to end in the bronchioles. The windpipe is held open by rings of cartilage (the silver rings of the piece) that offer protection against pressure from the surrounding organs.

7 UNITS A WEEK…WELL, MAYBE JUST A DROP MORE.../RED WINE FLASK

My worst visions of a stomach suffering the effects of too much red wine – spongy and full of holes. Two complete balloons have been inserted into the stomach to mark the transitions to, respectively, the oesophagus and the intestines, and the size and shape of the stomach is approximately correct.

This piece of jewellery is worn on the body like a waist pack, so that the container is located on top of the actual stomach on the left side of the body, directly underneath the ribs. The wearer can fill the two balloons with a liquid according to preference (and conscience).

The red X on the back acts as a ‘NO’ mark.

DNA DIY

Two sets of 23 pairs of chromosomes – the number of chromosome pairs in a human cell – strung together into two long necklaces to be worn anywhere on the body. A black/white like the one we know from depictions of the human genome, and a multi-coloured one … perhaps a BEFORE and AFTER?

Like beads on a string, the genes have been strung loosely on long black balloons, and genetic manipulation is easily done by switching or replacing the chromosome “beads”. You can be a truly self-made man or woman, and there is no need to put up with any accidents of birth.

The DIY element comments on the fact that we are increasingly seen to be responsible for our own health. The norms for what we feel individuals need to gain control over are constantly changing, and diversity is being reduced – we expect overweight people to trim down, and we expect smokers to kick the habit. Who knows, in a few years’ time, it might no longer be socially acceptable to be an indomitable pessimist...

CRASH PADS/THIGH BONE GUARDS AND CALCIUM TABLET CONTAINER

Osteoporosis or brittle bone disease occurs when the mass and strength of bone tissue are significantly reduced; canals and air cavities in the bone tissue expand, and the bone becomes porous and brittle. Bone fractures due to osteoporosis are most common in wrists, vertebrae and the neck of the femur. Fracturing a vertebra or the neck of the femur as a result of a minor accident or normal everyday activity is a sign of osteoporosis.

Sex hormones are important for the formation of new bone tissue, and since the production of sex hormones drops rapidly and significantly in women after the onset of menopause, women are particularly prone to osteoporosis. Calcium and vitamin D are important for the prevention of brittle bone disease, and it is recommended that all women over 50 years of age and all men over 65 take calcium and vitamin D supplements. Physical activity is also very important for maintaining strong bones.

The femur is the longest bone in the human body – an average femur in an adult is 48 cm long and just under 3 cm in diameter in the middle of the shaft. Long tubular bones, such as the femur, contain red bone marrow, which produces blood cells and yellow bone marrow, which consists mainly of fatty tissue – represented in this piece of jewellery by red and yellow thread. At the top of the bone, the threads have been laid into a rope, and the pads are worn on the body like the fenders on a yacht.

DROWNING BY E-NUMBERS

This piece of jewellery resembles the shape and appearance of the small intestine – a section of human small intestine enlarged ten times. The inside of the small intestine is covered in intestinal villi: millimetre-sized folds that increase the surface area of the small intestine and thus the absorption of nutrients considerably.

"Drowning by E-numbers" is a wide belt or tube that one pulls up around one’s body (or down – depending on one’s build) – a balloon corset. "Drowning by E-numbers" maintains the same diameter throughout the length of the tube, so unlike a normal corset it will fit loosely around the waist and tend to fold up, turning the ”villi-lined” interior inside-out. In this state, the piece almost resembles a bathing ring or life ring. Others might be reminded of a “belly tyre”. While the corset is associated with CONTROL, the tyre is a sign of the opposite.

The title refers to food colouring and plays with the idea that it takes knowledge and information to eat right. Anyone taking on that challenge might soon find themselves drowning in the vast ocean of often contradictory information on the topic.

CELL CHANGE TEST STRESS

It is an inherent assumption in our culture that prevention is better than cure, and so the goal is to catch diseases as early as possible. Many of the instruments and methods that doctors use for health checks are so sensitive that they can reveal even the smallest abnormalities. But some of these states never develop into a real threat, and perhaps we should consider whether it is possible to detect disease too early. Or whether screening can even be the cause of disease? And what about the many high-profile information campaigns for healthy living? Can the nervousness, doubts, guilt and stress they often cause not also be a threat to our health?

DISCO COLLAPSE/POSTURE-CORRECTING BACK JEWELLERY

The human spine consists of 24 vertebrae, the os sacrum and the coccyx. In between the vertebrae (7 cervical (neck) vertebrae, 12 thoracic (middle back) vertebrae and 5 lumbar (lower back) vertebrae) there are a total of 23 elastic discs, made of cartilage, which serve as buffers to prevent the shock of body movements from affecting the brain.

Over time, the discs are worn, and in the Western world especially, many people suffer from back problems; a prolapsed disc is a common diagnosis. Too much sedentary work is one of the explanations, and the solution – both the prevention and the cure – is physical activity and posture-correcting and muscle-strengthening back training.

"Disco Collapse" consists of 23 balloon discs that can be assembled to form 4 small (disco) balls (which also bear some resemblance to massage balls), which in turn can be combined in pairs to form “dumbbells”. The piece can take on a wide variety of shapes, from the completely collapsed to the carefully assembled.

The 23 balloon discs vary in size like the discs of the spine, and the assembly of the balloon snippets plays on the fact that a prolapsed disc is a bulge on a disc that occurs as the soft centre of the disc pushes through the tough connective tissue that surrounds the disc. The balloon discs consist of nothing but bulges. The mouth of a balloon has been integrated to reflect a dream of simply being able to fix a prolapsed buffer by re-inflating it.

PERHAPS EVEN A GREEN LIFESTYLE CAN BE TAKEN TOO FAR….

This piece of jewellery is an anatomical model of the human small intestine in the sense that it has the same length (6 m) and thickness (2.5-3 cm) as the actual small intestine. To increase the absorption of nutrients, the surface of the small intestine is greatly expanded with ribs or circular folds throughout the length of the intestinal canal – represented here by the rolled-up edges of the mouths of balloons.

The balloon small intestine is a brooch that can be arranged on the body in many different ways, but the idea is that the two ends, where the pins are fitted, should be placed on top of the transition to the duodenum, close to the centre of the body in between the lower ribs, and on top of the transition to the colon, which is under the ridge of the right hip bone. This piece of jewellery has a slightly grotesque character, especially if one imagines the external location as a result of a sort of explosion – too much gas, simply...