Yufei Shen

In this project, I am looking for a better understanding of marriage. I am 24 and my friends and family often show their concern for my well being by asking about my personal life, “do you have a boyfriend?”, “It is time to get married.”, and this confuses me. Is marriage a necessary step which everyone has to experience in their life? Does it have to be at a specific age? What will make me step into a marriage?

My fears around marriage are influenced by stories I read and hear about the difficulties of life after marriage. Do I want to become a housewife and devote all my time to a husband and children? Marriage is like Pandora’s Box, it is an attractive, tempting notion but what will happen after you open it? I am the person who is holding this box right now, and trying to figure out what is inside.

Yufei is a contemporary jewellery artist from China. She studied MA Jewellery and Metal at Royal College of Art, and graduated from BA Contemporary Jewellery at the University for the Creative Arts. Her work is influenced by Chinese culture and in particular, attitudes and behaviours around marriage. Yufei enjoys drawing on these topics to make objects that comment on the complexities of marriage as a life changing event.

In my project I compare embarking on marriage with the opening of a paper gift box to which the contents cannot be returned. My metal boxes are slightly opened along the perforated line, to make the viewer curious about what is inside in the way that I wonder what marriage holds for me.

Medium:

Silver, Brass

Boxes Metalwork

People may choose to get married for financial gain or as a business proposition. They may seek a share of their partner’s fortunes. Here, I used paper money to fold a ring to represent this situation.

Medium:

Paper, Sponge, Gilding Metal

Boxes Metalwork Origami

Married life is very different from single life, people have to change from one state to the other. Individuals may loose something of their pre-married selves. I have chosen tape commonly used to erase youthful writing mistakes to express this idea. When the tape is used up, it signifies the end of the marriage. After a marriage split, will the individuals return to their pre-marriage selves?

Medium:

Silver, Tape

Metalwork Ring

Carry on the family line, Acrylic, Green bean

For some, carrying on their family line is the most important thing in life. To capture this idea, I use the Matryoshka Doll as inspiration for a marriage box. When you open the box, there is another smaller box inside.

Medium:

Acrylic, Green bean

3D Printing Boxes

is the value of the housewife ignored? Do husbands believe being a housewife’s work is easy? I use rice to represent the housewife’s caring, and silver as material to add value to the act of preparing food.

Medium:

Silver

Metalwork Mini

Many people marry only because they think they are at the right age. In this situation, maybe it doesn’t matter enough who they marry as long as they have a marriage certification. I designed a stamp to ‘certificate’ marriage.

Medium:

Wood

Stamp Woodwork

Yufei Shen

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Social

About

Royal College of Art