Скриншот: Марал Жуманалина
Maral Zhumanalina is creating “Dynastic Brand”, a jewellery project through which she hopes to preserve the memory of a woman and her origins. Creative ideas that once stood alone are now coming together, and Maral has already made and given away some of the pieces. Her work features clan symbols, a personal motif and KŌLKI smileys she designed herself. raem.kz spoke to Maral by email about her pieces, her search for designs and the support the project needs now.
Maral Zhumanalina seeks a way to preserve a woman’s memory
The project began with reflections on shezhire. Maral became interested in how a woman’s memory could be preserved for future generations. She sought her own way to tell a woman’s story through an object that would outlive her. For Maral, that object became a piece of jewellery with personal meaning.
“Without challenging the rules of Shezhire, I was looking for a way to give a woman’s memory greater prominence for her descendants,” Maral wrote. At the heart of her idea is an individual woman, her name and her origins. Maral describes the project’s foundation this way: “The Dynastic Brand project. The DNA of my project is the importance of a woman in her individuality.”
She develops this idea through symbols that can be incorporated into jewellery. These include clan symbols and a personal image. Working on “Dynastic Brand” therefore involves both design and finding a form in which to preserve memory. Through jewellery, Maral wants to pass her idea on to future generations.
Several projects came together in one idea
Maral pursues different forms of creativity: she has drawn, painted and written prose and poetry. In her email, she connects this to becoming bolder about expressing her thoughts. “Dynastic Brand” brought together her own ideas, which gradually began to take shape as a single jewellery project.
“Several of my projects were coming together in one idea,” Maral explains. Courses she attended confirmed her sense that she was heading in the right direction. She says learning is especially important at the beginning, when an idea has emerged but has yet to be brought to life.
From the outset, Maral saw the project as a long-term undertaking. She wants to leave the idea itself behind and give it a chance to continue over time. “Dynastic Brand” thus brought together two intentions: to make jewellery now and to preserve an idea that could live on.
From clan symbols to a personal image
In her email, Maral lists various types of work: personalised jewellery with clan symbols, stud earrings, bracelets, convertible earrings and a sautoir necklace. She experiments with combining symbols in a single piece. In bracelets, for example, she pairs smileys with clan symbols, while for the sautoir she uses “coins” bearing symbols and her personal stamp.
For her own symbol, Maral chose a maral deer whose legs form the letter M. This gives her name a visual form that can be incorporated into jewellery. “Now I know I have left a reminder of myself; my name will live on in the image of the stamp,” she writes of what this work means to her.
Clan symbols and her personal motif play different roles in the idea. Through the former, Maral explores a person’s origins. Through her own stamp, she preserves her name in an image. These elements are part of a single project in which a piece of jewellery is connected to the person whose story it is meant to tell.
KŌLKI were designed for teenagers but drew interest from adults
A distinct idea within the project is KŌLKI: smileys in skullcaps with Asian facial features. Maral created them for teenagers as a way to show emotions without speaking. In this part of the project, she is interested in self-expression through jewellery: a character should convey the mood of the person wearing it.
The response, however, went beyond her original audience. “I had a particular age group in mind, but much older people responded too,” Maral says. She also writes that she gave KŌLKI as gifts and watched them pass from hand to hand. This is how she describes people’s reactions to the characters she created.
The smileys can appear alongside other elements of “Dynastic Brand”. Among the combinations Maral has already tried are bracelets featuring smileys and clan symbols. In a single piece, she brings together a connection to one’s origins and a way to express an emotion. KŌLKI also retain their own purpose within the broader idea.
Design begins with a conversation about the piece
Maral describes how someone might approach her: they want a piece of jewellery for themselves or as a gift. They may not yet have a clear picture of what it should look like. What matters to them is that the piece feels individual. That wish is where the discussion of its design begins.
Maral then asks who the jewellery is for, what it is intended for and how it will be worn. In her email, she specifically mentions an everyday option and a piece for going out. These questions help move the conversation from a general wish for something personal to a discussion of what it should become.
“The information is discussed and designs are proposed,” Maral explains. In her account, the work begins with a conversation about the person and the purpose of the jewellery. Only then do options for its appearance emerge. She connects this approach to the project’s emphasis on individuality: the future piece should reflect a specific request and the way it will be worn.
Maral has given her pieces as gifts
Maral describes her finished work through the gifts she has given. Besides KŌLKI, she mentions personalised jewellery with clan symbols, stud earrings and bracelets combining different elements. These are different ways to use the project’s elements: choosing a clan symbol, using a character or bringing them together. Some ideas are still in development.
“I don’t have much to show yet; I’ve given everything away or it’s still in progress,” Maral wrote in her first email. She therefore describes the current stage through both finished pieces given as gifts and ongoing development. The range of pieces shows which forms she has already explored for her ideas.
Speaking about the gifts, Maral notes the interest in KŌLKI and the response from people of different ages. She continues to explore how to turn creative ideas into objects and says she needs professional support at this stage.
Maral is developing the core of the project
Maral is now working on the part of “Dynastic Brand” she considers most important to its foundation. She does not explain how it works in her email, but connects the next steps to bringing creative ideas to life. This is where she needs support: the ideas are already there, while the ways to realise them still need to be developed.
The long timeframe does not deter her. “When I decided to start the project, I understood that it would be a long-term undertaking,” Maral writes. She continues to bring ideas together around memory, origins and personal symbols. For her, the next stage involves developing this foundation further and expressing it in jewellery.
Maral describes her approach to setting goals this way: “It is important to set yourself the most absurd goal and work towards it with curiosity, without a struggle. And life reveals all its colours.”
