JP

EMMA KOHLMANN
CUTOUT JEWELRY AND BAGS

When we visited a factory making such products as kettles and air-conditioning equipment parts, our eyes were attracted by colorful fragments of aluminum. As we were enchanted by this material, which was light like paper but hard and whose colors were vivid, we took some fragments home and kept them around. One day, when we came across paper cutouts created by Emma Kohlmann(Instagram: @meiow_mix), we got the inspiration to create new products by fusing her artworks with fragments of aluminum. That is how this collection came into being.

‘I started making the cutouts for friends' birthday parties. The first time I made them was for the first birthday of my friend’s son. Afterwards, I started making them for my own personal parties and other intimate occasions such as when my sister and I made dinner together. It was a way to make the room more festive. I like the idea of the cutouts as decorations, because it brings warmth and connection in a space. I wanted to make decorations that were affordable and easy to make. Although they were simple, they really worked as a way to brighten a room. I loved the idea that the cutouts were transforming a space into another world. I strung the cutouts on a piece of yarn after making them using construction paper and scissors. I taped them to the walls and also hang them across the room like garlands. After the parties were over, I would keep them up because I couldn’t bear the idea of taking them down. They became part of my daily life.

I make the cutouts because I want to bring joy and celebration to other people. Although they are simply made, the cutouts are meant to welcome you into a space. They are meant to brighten your day and to share that with other people.’