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# Project Description Breath of the Barren — If the Future Ends in Sand Yao Guo Summary Final work I am a jewellery designer and interdisciplinary creative originally from Inner Mongolia, now based in London. My practice draws on a diverse background in painting, writing, music and video editing, allowing me to approach design through a narrative and cross-media lens. I’m curious about the emotional and cultural meanings that wearable objects can hold, and often explore the relationship between humans, nature, and survival. I enjoy working with unconventional materials and speculative ideas, always aiming to push the boundaries of what jewellery can express. Whether through physical making or visual storytelling, I’m drawn to design that asks questions, tells stories, and connects. I am a jewellery designer and interdisciplinary creative originally from Inner Mongolia, now base... College London College of Fashion Course BA (Hons) Fashion Jewellery Graduation year 2025 What do we wear when the world collapses? Set in a future where desertification has overtaken the Earth, Breath of the Barren is a speculative jewellery collection that imagines how adornment can evolve beyond aesthetics—becoming a tool for survival, a vessel for memory, and a symbol of resilience. The project draws from my upbringing in Inner Mongolia, where springtime sandstorms have become increasingly frequent and severe. These experiences planted the seed for a narrative built around climate crisis, interspecies adaptation, and functional design. The series comprises five key pieces: wearable artefacts for both humans and animals, including a visor, respirator, ear covers, a protective device for livestock, and a shared amulet representing a desert deity. At the heart of the project lies the concept of elemental exchange: reimagining biological adaptations such as long eyelashes or water-storing humps as human-wearable survival features, and translating human protective tools like goggles and filters into devices for animals. The result is a vision of a post-collapse world where humans and animals survive together, sharing tools, space, and destiny. Materiality is central to the storytelling: Loofah fibre and paper pulp are used for breathability and filtration, reflecting both functionality and resource scarcity. Brass, sandblasted to echo erosion, represents remnants of industrial civilisation. Leather and fur suggest sacrifice and dependency in a resource-poor world. Pearls, now detached from luxury, serve as relics of a vanished ocean—a quiet mourning for what was lost. The most symbolic piece in the series is the Desert God Amulet, inspired by the deep roots of desert plants. It offers not just imagined protection, but also spiritual strength and a sense of faith—an anchor in a world that has forgotten stability. Breath of the Barren is more than a design collection; it is a meditation on survival, belief, and ecological grief. Through speculative worldbuilding and interdisciplinary practice, it redefines jewellery as a medium of resistance—functionally, emotionally, and culturally. Final work Human Goggles Streamlined goggles that provide visibility and dust filtration in extreme desert conditions. Size: 151mm × 120mm × 61mm Materials: Brass, acrylic, loofah fibre, paper pulp, sand, faux fur, faux pearl, leather. Animal Goggles Protective eyewear for livestock in sandstorm-prone futures. A shared survival tool between humans and animals. Size: 330mm × 180mm × 290mm Materials: Brass, acrylic, loofah fibre, paper pulp, sand, faux fur, faux pearl, leather. Ear cuff Designed to deflect dust while maintaining hearing, inspired by desert-adapted animal anatomy. Size: 176mm × 98mm × 29mm Materials: Brass, acrylic, loofah fibre, paper pulp, sand, faux fur, faux pearl. Mask Research and process Breath of the Barren — If the future ends in sand The forest crashes down. Dust rises. And the world begins to forget what it means to breathe green. Fragments of time flicker across the screen—splintered wood, drifting sand, falling tears, and crumbling towers half-buried in the storm. A shepherd boy watches the sandstorm approach in silence. A lamb blinks through swollen, tearful eyes. Years later, in a future world, a boy drinks the final drop of water, then opens the door to a desert that has forgotten its name. What they wear are relics of survival—jewellery no longer made for beauty alone, but as ritual, as breath, as resistance. This piece is part of my Fashion Jewellery Final Major Project, inspired by my childhood in Inner Mongolia. There, sandstorms are no longer seasonal events but daily background noise in springtime. What happens when we continue to ignore the earth’s warning? This project imagines a future where jewellery becomes shelter against the wind, a vessel of faith, and a tool for survival in a world that has turned to dust. Amulet Dimensions: 460mm × 79mm × 61mm Materials: Brass, acrylic, loofah fibre, paper pulp, sand, faux fur, faux pearl, leather In this post-collapse world, I envisioned a symbolic deity: The Desert God—a being shaped by desert flora, whose deep, tenacious root systems symbolise endurance, shelter, and quiet spiritual strength. This amulet, worn by both humans and animals, carries more than physical utility. It offers emotional resilience and symbolic guidance. Brass wires, shaped like roots, form the skeleton of the piece; their sandblasted surfaces are coated with layers of loofah fibre and paper pulp—materials chosen for their fragility, breathability, and metaphorical weight. The structure is suspended by braided leather cords, evoking both ritual and survival. Placed close to the heart, the piece becomes a portable belief system—a relic of faith in a world stripped of systems, language, and ritual. It serves not only as a story fragment, but as a final act of resistance through meaning Share this project What do we wear when the world collapses?Set in a future where desertification has overtaken the Earth, Breath of the Barren is a speculative jewellery collection that imagines how adornment can evolve beyond aesthetics—becoming a tool for survival, a vessel for memory,... A link to this page has been added to your clipboard Browse related work Futures Climate Emergency Nature & Environment Health & Wellbeing Accessories 2DAnimation 3DModelling Metal Sustainability Biomaterial Future PostHuman Animal
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