body of work

INTENT
my inspiration on this project was baobab tree, where I will be using leaves, stem covers to do my drawing in order to come with solid pieces, am doing to make four pieces earrings, ring, pendant and cufflinks, earrings, pendant, and cufflinks will be made on the shape of leaves whereas ring will be made on the shape of branches .

BAOBAB TREE

All Baobabs are deciduous trees ranging in height from 5 to 20 meters. The Baobab tree is a strange looking tree that grows in low-lying areas in Africa and Australia. It can grow to enormous sizes and carbon dating indicates that they may live to be 3,000 years old. One ancient hollow Baobab tree in Zimbabwe is so large that up to 40 people can shelter inside its trunk. Various Baobabs have been used as a shop, a prison, a house, a storage barn, and a bus shelter. The tree is certainly very different from any other. The trunk is smooth and shiny, not at all like the bark of other trees, and it is pinkish grey or sometimes copper-colored.When bare of leaves, the spreading branches of the Baobab look like roots sticking up into the air, rather as if it had been planted upside-down. Baobabs are very difficult to kill, they can be burnt, or stripped of their bark, and they will just form new bark and carry on growing. When they do die, they simply rot from the inside and suddenly collapse, leaving a heap of fibers, which makes many people think that they don't die at all, but simply disappear.An old Baobab tree can create its own ecosystem, as it supports the life of countless creatures, from the largest of mammals to the thousands of tiny creatures scurrying in and out of its crevices. Birds nest in its branches; baboons devour the fruit; bush babies and fruit bats drink the nectar and pollinate the flowers, and elephants have been known to chop down and consume a whole tree. A Baby Baobab tree looks very different from its adult form and this is why the Bushmen believe that it doesn't grow like other trees, but suddenly crashes to the ground with a thump, fully grown, and then one day simply disappears. No wonder they are thought of as magic trees.

Flowers and Fruit

The Baobab tree has large whitish flowers which open at night. The fruit, which grows up to a foot long, contains tartaric acid and vitamin C and can either be sucked, or soaked in water to make a refreshing drink. They can also be roasted and ground up to make a coffee-like drink. The fruit is not the only part of the Baobab that can be used. The bark is pounded to make rope, mats, baskets, paper, and cloth; the leaves can be boiled and eaten, and glue can be made from the pollen.

Uses

Fiber from the bark is used to make rope, baskets, cloth, musical instrument strings, and waterproof hats. While stripping the bark from the lower trunk of most trees usually leads to their death, baobabs not only survive this common practice, but they regenerate new bark. Fresh baobab leaves provide an edible vegetable similar to spinach which is also used medicinally to treat kidney and bladder disease, asthma, insect bites, and several other maladies. The tasty and nutritious fruits and seeds of several species are sought after, while pollen from the African and Australian baobabs is mixed with water to make glue.

Native legends

Along the Zambezi, the tribes believe that when the world was young the Baobabs were upright and proud. However, for some unknown reason, they lorded over the lesser growths. The gods became angry and uprooted the Baobabs, thrusting them back into the ground, root upwards. Evil spirits now haunt the sweet white flowers and anyone who picks one will be killed by a lion. One gigantic baobab in Zambia is said to be haunted by a ghostly python. Before the white man came, a large python lived in the hollow trunk and was worshipped by the local natives. When they prayed for rain, fine crops, and good hunting, the python answered their prayers. The first white hunter shot the python and this event led to disastrous consequences. On still nights the natives claim to hear a continuous hissing sound from the old tree.In the Kafue National Park in Zambia, one of the largest Baobabs is known as 'Kondanamwali' - the tree that eats maidens. This enormous tree fell in love with the four beautiful girls who lived in its shade. When they reached puberty, they sought husbands and made the tree jealous. One night, during a raging thunderstorm, the tree opened its trunk and took the maidens inside. A rest house had been built in the branches of the tree. On stormy nights, it is the crying of the imprisoned maidens that make people inside tremble - not the sounds of the wild animals.Along the Limpopo, it is believed that when a young boy is washed in water used to soak baobab bark, he will grow up into a big man. Some native beliefs have proven to have a scientific basis. Natives believe that women living in kraals where baobabs are plentiful have more children than those living outside baobab zones. They eat soup made from baobab leaves, which is rich in vitamins. This compensates for any deficiency in their diet. Doctors have confirmed that this indeed brings about a higher fertility rate.The African bushman has a legend that tells of the god Thora. He took a dislike to the Baobab growing in his garden, so he threw it out over the wall of Paradise on to Earth below, and although the tree landed upside-down it continued to grow. It is not surprising that such a strange-looking tree should have superstitions linked to it. Some people believe that if you pick a flower from a Baobab tree you will be eaten by a lion, but if you drink water in which a Baobab's seeds have been soaked you will be safe from a crocodile attack. Certain tribes in the Transvaal wash baby boys in water-soaked in the bark of a baobab. Then, like the tree, they will grow up mighty and strong.

Where they are found

Baobabs are widely distributed in belts across Africa. They also grow in Madagascar, India, Ceylon, and Australia. They grow in many areas of Zimbabwe. In the Northern Province, they are found between the Limpopo and the Zoutpansberg range. Messina is indeed a Baobab town. There is a famous `halfway Baobab' between Louis Trichardt and Messina, a reservoir from which many have drawn. Baobabs seem to prefer hot, sandy plains.

STH project

                                                                           

MANUFACTURED PIECES

  

manufacturing process

CAD 

Concept Drawings

                                  Reference drawings

                                  Reference pictures

                                    London  gin

what is it: London Dry is the original style of gin that took over the U.K. market way back in the 17th century. It’s called London Dry not because London is particularly dry or even because it must be made in London, but rather because it is a drier style that replaced the sugared swill that grew popular in London during the Gin Craze.

defining characteristics: London Dry must be made with a neutral base and bottled at at least 40-percent ABV (37.5 percent in the EU). Juniper must be dominant among botanicals.

What it tastes like: A full range of juniper flavors (from peppery to nutty, but often described as piney), with coriander and citrus in supporting roles.

                               Plymouth Gin

What is it: A style of London Dry gin, produced in the town of Plymouth, England. For years, the gin brand Plymouth claimed protective status over the style, but it has since given up that protection and rejoined the general London Dry category.

Defining characteristics: Plymouth is made under the same requirements of London Dry but has a unique soft taste that distinguishes it.

What it tastes like: Scaling back on the juniper, Plymouth tastes of orange and baking spice, and it’s softer on the palate than other London Dry gins.

                             Contemporary Gin

What is it: A global category that includes American gins as well as bottlings from around the world. The category does not require that distillers use a neutral base, allowing the flavors to vary more.

Defining characteristics: Contemporary gin is essentially defined by its lack of definitions, opening up all possibilities to distillers as long as they still include juniper and distill to at least 40-percent ABV. Bases like rye and barley are common in addition to grain neutral spirit, and those flavors are reflected in the gins. Botanicals local to each distillery or unusual ingredients are also common.

What it tastes like: Anything and everything. Peppermint, pistachio, kumquat, yuzu, corn, cilantro—it’s all fair game.

                            Navy Strength Gin

What is it: An overproof version of London Dry originally used by the British Royal Navy because it wouldn’t inhibit gunpowder from lighting when damp with gin.

Defining characteristics: Navy Strength gin must be bottled at 114 proof or higher.

What it tastes like: Like high octane London Dry. Distillers must balance the usual flavors at the higher proof, but the taste is essentially the same, albeit hotter.

                                 Old Tom Gin

What is it: A sweetened gin originally dispensed illegally from bars through tubes protruding from exterior walls marked with black cats (aka tom cats). Today, it’s sold in bottles like any other gin.

Defining characteristics: Old Tom gins are sweetened and often barrel aged, but distillers use both of these factors to varying degrees. Gins range greatly in sweetness and barrel influence.

What it tastes like: While Old Toms must include some sort of sweetener, many distillers use the additive to round out the profile of the gin rather than make a sweet spirit like a liqueur. Expect the juniper, citrus and botanical notes of other gins except with a lip-smacking, honeyed mouthfeel.

                       Barrel Aged Gin

What is it: Barrel-aged gins are technically part of the contemporary category, but are plentiful enough to warrant consideration on their own? 

Defining characteristics: Barrel-aged gins spend some amount of time in a barrel, from a couple months to up to a year (but rarely more than a few months, since the barrel quickly overpowers any other flavors if the gin is rested any longer).

you can mix up expert G&Ts all day or casually drop the word “botanical” into cocktail conversation, but that doesn’t mean you are a gin expert. To really understand the spirit, you have to get familiar with all eight styles in the big, happy, junipery family. Here’s every type of gin you need to know.

TYPES OF GINS