Metal head

>> Nomadic jewellery is home-grown, hand-made and rock-solid

by MARK SLUTSKY

"I'm using what's around me, using my culture and environment," says Jessiah MacDonald, creator of Nomadic, a line of jewellery that looks like it might have been designed by an ancient Egyptian with a part-time job at Bois Idéal.

In his home studio in Mile-End, MacDonald creates elaborate necklaces and bracelets out of plastic tubing, metal wires, nuts, bolts, washers and other puzzling hardware-store objects. But when asked about the industrial use of some of his strange hardware findings, MacDonald laughs, "I don't know what any of these things are for." Still, he manages to turn little metal cylinders engraved with indecipherable factory codes into startling, unique decorations.

MacDonald has been at it for several years now, designing his pieces and building them by hand under the banner of Nomadic, his one-man company. And it's gained some buzz of late--he's got a tentative gig doing custom jewellery for a popular American streetwear label come next summer. The jewellery grew out of his previous work as a designer: he's done logos for clubs like Liquid and the now-defunct High Bar, and streetwear clothing company Two-Face, among others. Jewellery, for MacDonald, is a way of bringing the essence of his art into the world: "It evolved out of my two-dimensionality," he says.

The idea of evolution is key here: MacDonald's work is constantly changing, and no two pieces are alike--each is a one-of-a-kind original, which he says is part of the Nomadic philosophy that "nothing's sedentary." Although he uses a lot of the same basic objects in his jewellery, the Nomadic collection displays an amazing range of style and form, from Cleopatra-like neckpieces, to hand-engraved leather wristbands. Some are light and delicate like steel spider webs, while others, loaded with thick metal bolts, are chunky and rock-solid. Almost all, though, contain some organic element, whether it's a shard of bamboo or a wooden peg. The industrial element of MacDonald's jewellery is always offset by the natural.

MacDonald is constantly in motion. In fact, the name Nomadic came out of a time when he was, in his words, "living nowhere," moving around from place to place. Adding to his sense of personal energy is the fact that he is always creating some kind of crazy art--in his studio, his sketchbooks are piled the height of a small child. You can expect more than jewellery in the near future from this young buck: MacDonald is working on, among other things, a type of scarf constructed out of heavy canvas, leather and metal bolts. Keep your eyes peeled. In the mean time, his Nomadic pieces--priced reasonably, but not dirt-cheap, between $40 and $200--are available at Escence (2027 St-Laurent). lll

For custom work, call Nomadic at 808-1577

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