Mingxuan Ma is a London-based jewellery designer whose work explores the psychological tension and emotional intimacy between individuals and environments. Her recent project, Dionysian City, draws from her personal experience of growing up under metropolitan pressure. Shaped by her academic background and interest in fine art, she approaches jewellery not merely as adornment, but as a wearable installations that navigate the space between personal emotion and collective urban identity.
‘Rather than emphasising physical interaction with the city, I turned to highlighting and transforming overlooked urban details to prompt emotional awareness and encourage visual re-engagement with one’s environment.’
Current Obsession:
Mingxuan Ma: Dionysian City is a project grounded in in-depth research and immersive fieldwork across London. I merged personal impressions with the cultural characteristics of various neighbourhoods, translating them into a series of chain designs. The resulting collection comprises six unique necklaces, each representing a specific piece of urban infrastructure or a distinct district within the city.
These symbolic forms allow me to transform the material and psychological textures of London into wearable narratives. Using jewellery as a medium highlights often-overlooked corners of the city and invites the audience to rediscover their surroundings with renewed awareness and a sense of belonging. Rather than becoming desensitised to the consequences of rapid urbanisation, I believe in approaching them with a constructive mindset.
CO:
MM: The entire process, from research to production to the final photoshoot, represents my outcome. Conversations with friends about my inspirations and the subtle features I observed in the city often sparked responses like, ‘Wow, I never noticed that.’ Some even began sharing photos of interesting structures they encountered in their own daily lives. These moments gave me confidence in the project’s direction, as it was genuinely influencing how people see and experience their city.
An interview with Liesbet Bussche also shaped my thinking. She shared how the intention behind her urban jewellery collection was to reframe the city. This inspired me to shift my own approach: rather than focusing on physical interaction with the urban landscape, I began to highlight and transform overlooked details, prompting emotional awareness and encouraging renewed visual engagement with one’s surroundings.
‘I noticed how people around me walked the same daily routes, becoming desensitised to their surroundings — this kind of numbness is one of the symptoms of urban psychological fatigue.’
MM: My interest in this theme began during an internship in Beijing last summer. I noticed how people around me walked the same daily routes, becoming desensitised to their surroundings. This kind of numbness is a symptom of urban psychological fatigue. Motivated by a desire to counter this condition through my jewellery practice, I began observing commonplace and often overlooked elements of the city. This project has encouraged both myself and those around me to pay closer attention to the traces of human life embedded in the urban landscape, fundamentally shifting my perspective on city living.
Instagram @ivorym_jewellery
All images courtesy of the artist.
Our annual series SO MINT! is back, shining a spotlight on the rising talents of fresh graduates in fashion, jewellery, and design from around the world.
Are you a recent graduate with remarkable work to share? Submit your portfolio via this link!
Submissions are open until the end of August 2025.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us via veronika@current-obsession.com.
