Erin's hands - designer behind Bande des Quatres - all rings are BDQ.I'm not really into the adage "less is more." I'm into excess. A feast for the eyes! So I was immediately drawn to Erin Wahed. I spied her at a party at New York Fashion Week this past February, more specifically I spied her hands. Her nails were totally tricked out (courtesy of Ami Vega—check her out), and she was wearing rings—and sometimes two on each digit—on almost every finger. It sounds over the top, but it worked because the rings were so bold, pleasingly minimalist. Then I started talking to Erin and the story got better. Not only does she design all her jewelry, under the moniker Bande des Quatres, but each collection is shaped by a very specific inspiration, be it a photographer, artist, or cultural movement. This totally appeals to the geek in me who's into lengthy, behind-the-curtain explanations and concept albums.For instance the first BDQ collection (which came out in 2011) focused on rings and was inspired by the cleanly carved angles of the Bauhaus movement. Collection II took shape thanks to a range of architects, Collection III, a set of photographers, while BDQ's lately released Collection IV is all about Minimalist artists, more on which below. With each season Erin adds a new type of jewelry, thus, for this season, necklaces were added, as well as a new material—rubber.But wait, it gets better and nerdier: there's one more layer. To complement every collection Erin asks a musician or artist to choose one piece of her work and pull together a mix of music inspired by selected item. Her reasoning behind it? "I am all about discovering new talent and I feed off of creativity."So for Collection IV Erin spoke with Brooklyn party-starting trio MATES, a crew who curate and DJ events with a strong lean towards the electronic music scene. MATES selected the Vera necklace—inspired by the artist Vera Molnar—and created this exclusive hypnotic, house-based BDQ mix below.
Here's what they had to say about the process: "We were inspired by the Vera necklace, which is in turn inspired by the work of Vera Molnar. One series she did in particular, Transformations, really dictated the nature of our Precious Metals mix. One piece Vera produced around 1974 in her Transformations series is a set of nine forms in rows of three [see image below], which begins with a rigidly straight square shape filled in by concentric squares. The piece seems to naturally read from left to right, as the original concentric square become more abstract from the inside out, ending in a mix of straight and abstract lines only vaguely similar to the original form.""The cadence of the artwork was what initially attracted us. If read from left to right, the piece seems to move from structured minimalism to loosely contained chaos, and that was a great foundation for our set. As we explored the nature of Vera's work, darker elements emerged which influenced us to create one of the deepest sets we've recorded. All mixed live from Brooklyn."Have a listen to MATES' mix and check out BDQ's latest collection below, plus an interview with the designer herself.
Erin: I never thought I would get into jewelry. I always loved what my mother did, but never had the patience to sit down at the jewelry bench and create myself. I dabbled a few times trying to learn from her, but I always got frustrated. I had the ideas, but the execution was where I struggled. I was always interested in technology and art as a child, but was also really good at math. I taught myself Adobe Photoshop at 14 and I would create these digital collages using images I found on the internet. A teacher once told me I had to stop borrowing existing images from the internet and take my own shots. I picked up a digital camera and began trying to capture the world in the same look and feel as the digital collages I created.From there I found myself attending New York University Tisch School of the Arts in their Photography program. Macro photography became my style, abstracting the everyday, trying to get closer and closer to the collages I used to create. Ultimately, when it came time for me to develop my thesis in my final year, I had the epiphany that I could finally get back to the digital collages, but this time using my own images. All this is to say, I have always had an obsession with geometrics—it's how I see the world.My visual landscapes, as I called them, were large scale and I was given the lobby of the NYU building to exhibit them at the opening. I had just seen the Michael Jackson movie This Is It and became obsessed with his gold sequin Balmain pants. I needed to have a stand out outfit for the event. I had similar sequin pants made and needed jewelry to go with the outfit that would make just as much of a statement as the pants. My mother and I were on a family vacation and sketched the the Van der Rohe and Moholy-Nagy ring for that very purpose.
Van der Rohe ring
Moholy-NagyThe Van der Rohe ring really pushed me to develop the brand and debut the collection of Bande des Quatres. Working with my mother has truly been a gift. I’ve never had a knack for drawing. It’s always ideas for me, so she can read my mind in the sense that I’ll point to something and she’ll know exactly what I’m thinking and how to translate it. That really works extremely well. It wouldn’t work like that with just anyone. I think you have to have that family bond to be able to do that.Each collection is specifically themed. Can you tell me a bit about each one?
The Bauhaus movement was the inspiration for the debut collection, with [Hungarian painter and photographer] Lazlo Moholy-Nagy playing such a large role within my own photography style. It was only natural that this aesthetic would find its way into the core of BDQ. As a result, when naming the pieces, it was only fitting to name each ring after a Bauhaus Master. This has become the tradition for all of our collections.
Collection II: ArchitectsWhen developing the first collection the tie between the Bauhaus and Architecture was so strong that the seeds were planted for Collection II, as we were working on Collection I. When working out the designs for the collection, our focus was on the wearability, the weight and the contrasting finishes, which in some cases took longer to achieve than the whole construction of the piece. With Architects and their works being our inspiration for Collection II, three-dimensionality as well as illusion occupied our psyche while working out the construction constraints of each piece.
Collection III: PhotographersOur third collection, Collection III, was inspired by modern abstract photographers such as Artie Vierkant and Jessica Eaton, who are constantly pushing the medium of photographer further by making the viewer wonder and think about what they are looking at when viewing their work. his sense of wonder is ever-present in Collection III with the large shapes used making the viewer wonder how the pieces are staying on the body.
Our newly released collection was inspired by a visit to Dia Beacon and my encounter with the work of Imi Knoebel. Knoebel’s cycle of 21 paintings, 24 Colors—for Blinky, takes over an entire walkway and immediately stopped me in my tracks with his unique polygonal shapes in various bright colors. As I continued venturing through Dia, I fell upon the work of Sol LeWitt, Blinky Palermo, and Donald Judd and knew then that the collection would grow from the work of artists I consider to be Minimalists.Can you see any particular musicians wearing your work?
I would love to see Usher wearing BDQ. He is very into the art world and I see him wearing a lot of rings. I feel like he would love our Mondrian Ring. I could also see Rihanna rocking BDQ.
Mondrian ring from Collection IWith each collection you team up with an artist or musician to provide a soundtrack to your work, inspired by your creations. How come you decided to do this and does music inspire you? Do you listen to music while you design?
I see the world through shapes and lines. The notion of redefining basic shapes is an aesthetic that is ever-present throughout all of my work, from my photography to now BDQ. I see music in much the same way: I am very into techno, electronic, house, and garage at the moment. The way in which these artists are layering sounds together is magical.I chose to develop the series because music is a huge inspiration to me and I love collaborating. BDQ Precious Metal Mix series is a monthly mix series we release inspired by individual pieces from our jewelry collections. The idea is that every month we select a different musician to create a 45 minute to one hour mix. The artist picks a BDQ piece to be inspired by and creates a mix around it.What's it like for you to receive these mixes inspired by your work? Must be pretty thrilling!
I am most excited when I hear back from an artist who wants to collaborate and create a mix for the series because most of the musicians I approach, don't know me. When the artist loves the concept and really connects to the piece of jewelry they choose to be inspired by their mix expresses this. Then when I receive the mix, it is absolutely thrilling to hear what the artist included, especially if there is unreleased or original work in there. What excites me even more is reading the artist’s statement of how the piece of jewelry inspired the mix. That is just golden.Listen to BDQ's Precious Metal Mix Series on SoundcloudTake a look into the Bande des Quatres' StudioKim is Noisey's Style Editor and she's on Twitter - @theKTB.Related:The influence of music and movies on designer Alexis BarrellMeet Meghan Farrell: Her Jewelry is Inspired by Music, Romance and the BodyMost Wanted: Svelte MetalsMost Wanted: MODU Snapbacks
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Noisey: How did you get into making jewelry? Your mom is a jewelry designer too right? That must have been a huge influence…
Erin: I never thought I would get into jewelry. I always loved what my mother did, but never had the patience to sit down at the jewelry bench and create myself. I dabbled a few times trying to learn from her, but I always got frustrated. I had the ideas, but the execution was where I struggled. I was always interested in technology and art as a child, but was also really good at math. I taught myself Adobe Photoshop at 14 and I would create these digital collages using images I found on the internet. A teacher once told me I had to stop borrowing existing images from the internet and take my own shots. I picked up a digital camera and began trying to capture the world in the same look and feel as the digital collages I created.From there I found myself attending New York University Tisch School of the Arts in their Photography program. Macro photography became my style, abstracting the everyday, trying to get closer and closer to the collages I used to create. Ultimately, when it came time for me to develop my thesis in my final year, I had the epiphany that I could finally get back to the digital collages, but this time using my own images. All this is to say, I have always had an obsession with geometrics—it's how I see the world.
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The Bauhaus movement was the inspiration for the debut collection, with [Hungarian painter and photographer] Lazlo Moholy-Nagy playing such a large role within my own photography style. It was only natural that this aesthetic would find its way into the core of BDQ. As a result, when naming the pieces, it was only fitting to name each ring after a Bauhaus Master. This has become the tradition for all of our collections.
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I would love to see Usher wearing BDQ. He is very into the art world and I see him wearing a lot of rings. I feel like he would love our Mondrian Ring. I could also see Rihanna rocking BDQ.
I see the world through shapes and lines. The notion of redefining basic shapes is an aesthetic that is ever-present throughout all of my work, from my photography to now BDQ. I see music in much the same way: I am very into techno, electronic, house, and garage at the moment. The way in which these artists are layering sounds together is magical.I chose to develop the series because music is a huge inspiration to me and I love collaborating. BDQ Precious Metal Mix series is a monthly mix series we release inspired by individual pieces from our jewelry collections. The idea is that every month we select a different musician to create a 45 minute to one hour mix. The artist picks a BDQ piece to be inspired by and creates a mix around it.What's it like for you to receive these mixes inspired by your work? Must be pretty thrilling!
I am most excited when I hear back from an artist who wants to collaborate and create a mix for the series because most of the musicians I approach, don't know me. When the artist loves the concept and really connects to the piece of jewelry they choose to be inspired by their mix expresses this. Then when I receive the mix, it is absolutely thrilling to hear what the artist included, especially if there is unreleased or original work in there. What excites me even more is reading the artist’s statement of how the piece of jewelry inspired the mix. That is just golden.
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