- CollegeCamberwell College of Arts
- CourseMA Illustration
- Graduation year2025
Welcome to My Mineral Museum.
The idea for this museum began when I saw a birthstone collection at the Natural History Museum. They sparkled beautifully—but felt distant and untouchable, locked behind glass. Their reflections even made it hard to take a clear photo.
That moment made me wonder: why do we assign such value to certain materials? And how does that value create both physical and emotional distance between us and the objects we admire?
I started researching the histories, myths, and symbolic meanings behind the twelve birthstones. Across cultures, these stones were often seen as amulets—symbols of protection, identity, and emotion, believed to bring luck or ward off harm.
So, I decided to create my own mineral museum—one where I define what feels precious, playful, and personal.
Inspired by the cultural symbolism of birthstones, this project reimagines them through a modern, light-hearted lens.
Please note that all gemstones featured in this project are entirely artificial—no real minerals were cut or harmed. Each one is made from Haribo gummies, a playful substitution that invites reflection on how we assign meaning and value to the things we treasure.
Research and process
Reimgaing Mineral Narratives
My project is about Reimagining Mineral Narratives——A Culturally Symbolic Approach Based on the Birthstones Collection in the Natural History Museum
My research explores the cultural significance of birthstones, drawing from the myths and symbolic stories behind them to reimagine these minerals as interactive, sensory objects. My audience includes those familiar with places like the NHM who seek a more personal and imaginative connection with minerals.
After visiting several museums, I found that most stones are locked behind glass—distant, untouchable, and emotionally detached. Even photographing them was difficult due to reflections. I contacted the NHM for closer access but received no reply.
These experiences inspired me to create my own mineral museum—tactile, participatory, and emotionally resonant. Through illustration, ceramics, candy and photography, I bring these stones to life, sharing ancient ways of seeing the world alongside my own.
The Story Behind My Creation
The Haribo Birthstones
One day, while eating Haribo gummies,I noticed that the cut surface of a bitten gummy sparkled in the light, like a tiny gemstone.Later, during my research, I came across a gem-cutting book (published, coincidentally, by the Natural History Museum), and that moment inspired me to try “cutting” Haribo myself.I experimented with various tools, knives, carving blades, but none of them worked well. Eventually, I discovered that scissors were the most effective.
Finding gummies in colors that closely matched the twelve birthstones turned out to be quite a challenge.
Special thanks to my bestie Chris, who helped me track down the rarest colors.
The Microimages of Birthstones
This series began with a moment of accidental discovery: During a class workshop, I scanned a single strand of my hair and was captivated by the intricate, microscopic patterns that emerged. This encounter revealed how much detail and potential meaning, exists beyond the limits of the naked eye.Inspired by this unseen world, I reflected that, birthstones, the symbolic and cultural values we project onto them, often invisible but deeply felt.To explore this idea, I hand-drew imagined microstructures for each of the twelve birthstones, speculating on what their inner worlds might look like if we could peer within. I then translated these drawings into cyanotype prints, using this historic photographic process to make the unseen both tangible and luminous.
Zodiac Stamp Series
Following the completion of the cyanotype microimages, I began to consider how visitors might take home a personal token of luck from my Mineral Museum. Recalling the petrified wood, one of the oldest known minerals,
displayed at the entrance of the NHM, I was inspired by the conceptual link between minerals and wood. This led me to attend a wood workshop to further explore material transformation.
Initially, I experimented with hand-carving the microimages into wood blocks. However, due to limited clarity in the final impressions, I transitioned to laser cutting techniques, which produced more precise and consistent results for
stamp bases.
Each birthstone corresponds to one of the twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac. To reflect this, I hand-carved each zodiac symbol into the wooden handles of the stamps. The form of each handle is ergonomically shaped to suggest various human gripping gestures, evoking a tactile connection between object and user.
From cutting and shaping the wood to carving, drilling, riveting, oiling, and polishing, the production of this stamp set took me a full two weeks of intensive manual work.
I would like to extend my sincere thanks to technician Ellen, whose technical expertise and thoughtful guidance were instrumental in the successful realization of my first wood-based project.
