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Designing the Designer
Conceived through in vitro fertilisation, Becky Franks treats her biological beginnings not as a medical fact, but as material to work with and wear. She uses jewellery as a means of thinking through questions of origin and identity.
‘Designing the Designer’ forms part of a lifelong investigation into her origin story, turning her parents’ decade of infertility, IVF and ICSI into wearable forms. Crafted from silver, each piece, a necklace, ring, bracelet and watch, encapsulates and demystifies an aspect of that story. Franks met with the embryologist who created her in the laboratory, positioning her as both a designer and a parental figure. This encounter prompted questions such as: who ‘designed’ me, and what does authorship mean when applied to life itself?
Hand-fabricating and wearing allows the jewellery to become a vessel of conversation, connection, pride and care. The project leaves space for future chapters in a material timeline that, like a life, is never complete.
‘Designing the Designer’ forms part of a lifelong investigation into her origin story, turning her parents’ decade of infertility, IVF and ICSI into wearable forms. Crafted from silver, each piece, a necklace, ring, bracelet and watch, encapsulates and demystifies an aspect of that story. Franks met with the embryologist who created her in the laboratory, positioning her as both a designer and a parental figure. This encounter prompted questions such as: who ‘designed’ me, and what does authorship mean when applied to life itself?
Hand-fabricating and wearing allows the jewellery to become a vessel of conversation, connection, pride and care. The project leaves space for future chapters in a material timeline that, like a life, is never complete.
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