Kali Arulpragasm is Superfertile. She has a fearless personality, a brand of brash that works for her. Her jewelry is an extension of this firebrand quality. Big, bold pieces that make socio-political statements with just a gentle dose of subversion. Her inventiveness comes through by way of materials. In CRA$H, she uses infographic pie charts and bar graphs, solemn emblems of the recession, inlaid with glitzy stones and enamel , street styled on the working man – it’s safe to say she also possess a wry sense of humour.In her latest collection , Mankind, flesh toned clay figures gather around the models’ torsos, speaking a softer more universal message – love. I ask her abt her quirks and she retorts,’I’m the only South Asian I know who applies tanning lotion and bronzer to make me appear darker”.
How would you describe your aesthetic? What influences it?
My parents are very proud of their Tamil heritage. I was taught very traditional values and all the goodness that came from our heritage...culture, music, good spicy foods, perfumes, all the smells and colours, costumes, decorations, jewels and festivals...I was taught to be aware and be proud of what South Asia offered to the world. I was born in London, grew up mostly here, Yet I'm drawn to the Old India, and the parts which interest me are the parts that are not trying to be something else. Pretence is boring, I try to be honest with everything I do.
Your pieces are very conceptual in nature, what about the wearability factor?
Yes, the concept comes after the message and the wearability I have fun with. Sometimes my message is so serious that I find humour in the design or Inject some Irony into the design. This is the part I enjoy and I think it makes my designs speak.
I'm a conceptual designer, message and communicating that message is important to me. My concerns of wearability comes last because I feel that is the easy part. I can always take parts and make smaller pieces. Break it down. The inventors’ collection come in one pendant necklaces, key rings and broaches. My tourism collection, necklaces were reduced to 50%, or parts of the necklaces were made into pendants, bracelets and ear rings. It's not that hard to work it out.
My most recent collection CRA$H is very wearable, I made pendants and chains in stones of statistics, numbers and facts of our very current Global financial economic crisis. They are Bar charts and Pie charts and statements. This has never been done with jewels. I read the economists of last 2 years, the FT and decided to show the glory of our nations debts and loss in bling!. It's a collection that got me respect from designers in Paris when I showed there in Oct 09. Only they know how hard to pull this off. Some pendants have more then 3000 stones, all paved by hand.
Who wears Superfertile?
Everyone that I would like to know.
Is jewelry your thing or do you create in other ways?
I wear many hats. After designing jewelry and production, I do everything else, from scouting models, art directing shoots, styling, make up, building installations and lookbooks. It's never ending...if I go onto do other things, I'd like to go bigger, add sculptures for homes, furnitures etc. You won't see me reducing impact.
For your The real super stars collection , you speak abt the relevance of glorifying inventors, the catalysts of change , why did you pick their heads specifically? Does this allude to yourself, as kali?
It's just a co-incidence that my name is Kali, it's actually short for Kalyani, but Kali also means 'New' in Tamil.I wanted to focus on inventors Face/heads for a few reasons, firstly it's there unknown faces that I wanted to present to the world, secondly, it's also miniature sculptures castings of their heads that you see in museums of important and Influential people. I wanted to preserve them and honour them for their contributions. It's also my way of delivering the unexpected. I wanted to show the possibilities of Design in Jewelry. And maybe there is a part of my ancestors influence in my work. But I don't sit through history books but yes some of my designs after they are completely made up from imagination have some relations to dance costumes and temples, statues, I have not physically seen before or maybe when I was a child l may and forgotten but still it's imprinted somewhere ...maybe I think in my past life I must have been a jeweller for the gods and maharajahs palaces in India. I'm very drawn to royalty, leadership and rulers. I can see one of my necklaces worn by a warrior at a royal function...I aim to dress all like warriors and kings and queens!!.
Whose work do you find most compelling?
I'm a big fan of Chanel. I watched Coco Avant Chanel many times. Coco is very compelling. Mc queen, hussaine Chalayan, Ashish and artists I have too many. Tracey Emin, Chris Offeli, Yoko Ono, Picasso, frieda Kahlo and all the local artists go by their first names in India, Africa, Mexico...my studio is filled with their work.
Whats on Kali's ipod these days?
Motown classics. I've lost my music after my Ipod crashed!
Do you follow any of the South Asian designers on the scene today?
I love Ashish, he's originally from Delhi based in London. Were friends now and I wear mostly his clothes.
The dreaded question, whats next for you?
I'm now made part of the Royal Academy of Arts comittee, so I'll be involved with the next event for the schools. I'll be going to Milan and Paris, for shows next year. I'd also be featured in a big movie that I'm so happy to be involved with. I have to produce some jewels for my new fan Alec Jeffreys, DNA finger printing inventor. Who discovered my collection recently. I'll be continuing my work as before.
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