What started as a digital art project has naturally morphed into the physical world as designer Drew Truxaw realized the potential for creating 3D printed jewelry out of his designs.
Truxaw, based out of San Francisco, has a background in industrial design and architecture. As the brand name and the artist's background suggests, CATATONIC's inspiration stems from subversive culture, architecture, algorithmic-based design, and organic forms found in nature such as cell micro-structures. We can see this clearly when gazing at the artwork, which paints the algorithmically created, brutalist structures in shiny textures and places them in Dali-like digital environments.
This is the overall aesthetic that ushered CATATONIC's entrance into the physical world with 3D-printed jewelry. The very approach seamlessly blends modern technological advancements with ancient techniques and sustainable materials.
Sustainability is a key component of CATATONIC's mission, with each piece made to order out of recycled precious metals. Not only does this avoid excess production, it enables the buyer to choose from a variety of precious metals including Sterling silver and 18K gold, with further customization such as engraving available in the future.
The connections between past, present, and future are clear with the design language and approach that Truxaw, 25, has managed to cultivate with his first collection for his brand. In both the design and development of CATATONIC jewelry, it is clear that a balance is being struck between technological innovation and odes to our own physical environment, proving that such connections can be inclusive rather than intrusive.
CATATONIC is here to create meaningful connections, whether by bridging the gap between new methods of design and manufacturing with past techniques and sustainable materials, or uniting human emotion with future innovations.
CATATONIC Connections.
You can shop the latest from CATATONIC at catatoniconline.com and follow the brand on Instagram @catatoniconline.
MAG X (by) SAM RAPAPORT is an online design and development magazine. Edited by Sam Rapaport, the magazine highlights the latest across the two pillars of design and development with a focus on fashion and creative software, respectively.
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