Kali Arulpragasam
Encyclopedia
Kali Arulpragasam is a jewellery designer based in London
, UK. She is the founder and creative director of the jewellery company and label "Super Fertile," founded in 2006.
, the environment
and nations torn at war. Her latest line "Tourism (Terrorism affects Tourism)" features signature oversized silver- and gold-plated necklaces, shaped like murals, using countries such as Haiti
, Iraq
, Sri Lanka
, Afghanistan
and Sudan
as themes. This collection features a series of breastplate necklaces that hang below the navel and celebrate positive aspects of war-torn nations.
Iraq's shows fruit
, a mosque
, and a tower at Samarra
, Sudan's shows cows and fishermen, Sri Lanka's depicts a boat
, palm trees and a peacock, whilst Israel
's shows horses, temples and laughing men and women.
The ornaments, hand-cut, were made "to be huge, so you could see them across the room." She says “There’s more to these countries than guys with guns standing in rubble... What are the plants like? What music are the kids listening to? That’s what I wanted to show.” Arulpragasam plans to donate each respective necklace design to museums of their corresponding countries.
Another line, "Endangered Species" features a collection of three piece rings resembling knuckle dusters
that feature the heads of rhinos
, stags and bull
s.
and Kala Arulpragasam and is the older sister of artist Mathangi (M.I.A.) Arulpragasam
and Sugu Arulpragasam. The family fled the civil war in Sri Lanka
in the 1980s. She worked at advertising firms
in New York
and Los Angeles
in the US, before moving to London
, where she was raised, in 2006. She works from her studio based in the East End of London
.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, UK. She is the founder and creative director of the jewellery company and label "Super Fertile," founded in 2006.
Super Fertile
Arulpragasam's designs with Super Fertile are politically conscious in form, influenced by social realismSocial realism
Social Realism, also known as Socio-Realism, is an artistic movement, expressed in the visual and other realist arts, which depicts social and racial injustice, economic hardship, through unvarnished pictures of life's struggles; often depicting working class activities as heroic...
, the environment
Environment (biophysical)
The biophysical environment is the combined modeling of the physical environment and the biological life forms within the environment, and includes all variables, parameters as well as conditions and modes inside the Earth's biosphere. The biophysical environment can be divided into two categories:...
and nations torn at war. Her latest line "Tourism (Terrorism affects Tourism)" features signature oversized silver- and gold-plated necklaces, shaped like murals, using countries such as Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
as themes. This collection features a series of breastplate necklaces that hang below the navel and celebrate positive aspects of war-torn nations.
Iraq's shows fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
, a mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
, and a tower at Samarra
Samarra
Sāmarrā is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris in the Salah ad-Din Governorate, north of Baghdad and, in 2003, had an estimated population of 348,700....
, Sudan's shows cows and fishermen, Sri Lanka's depicts a boat
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
, palm trees and a peacock, whilst Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
's shows horses, temples and laughing men and women.
The ornaments, hand-cut, were made "to be huge, so you could see them across the room." She says “There’s more to these countries than guys with guns standing in rubble... What are the plants like? What music are the kids listening to? That’s what I wanted to show.” Arulpragasam plans to donate each respective necklace design to museums of their corresponding countries.
Another line, "Endangered Species" features a collection of three piece rings resembling knuckle dusters
Brass knuckles
Brass knuckles, also sometimes called knuckles, knucks, brass knucks, or knuckledusters, are weapons used in hand-to-hand combat. Brass knuckles are pieces of metal, usually steel despite their name, shaped to fit around the knuckles...
that feature the heads of rhinos
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
, stags and bull
Bull
Bull usually refers to an uncastrated adult male bovine.Bull may also refer to:-Entertainment:* Bull , an original show on the TNT Network* "Bull" , an episode of television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation...
s.
Lines
- Jungle Birds (A/W 2006)
- The BubbleBoy (S/S 2006)
- Rich Girl Vs. Poor Girl (S/S 2007)
- Endangered Species (A/W 2007)
- Tourism (S/S 2008)
- Hunger (A/W 2008)
- The Real Super Stars (S/S 2009)
- CRA$H (S/S 2010)
- Mankind (A/W 2010)
- Murder (AW2011/2012)
Personal life
Arulpragasam is a British Tamilian of Sri Lankan descent. She is the eldest child of Arul PragasamArul Pragasam
Arul Pragasam is a Tamil activist and former revolutionary from Jaffna who had a part in forming the group Eelam Revolutionary Organisation of Students during the Tamil independence movements to secure an independent Tamil Eelam. Arulpragasam graduated in Engineering from the Peoples' Friendship...
and Kala Arulpragasam and is the older sister of artist Mathangi (M.I.A.) Arulpragasam
M.I.A. (artist)
Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam , better known by her stage name M.I.A. , is an English singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, painter and director of Sri Lankan Tamil descent. Her compositions combine elements of hip hop, electronica, dance, alternative and world music. M.I.A...
and Sugu Arulpragasam. The family fled the civil war in Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
in the 1980s. She worked at advertising firms
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in the US, before moving to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where she was raised, in 2006. She works from her studio based in the East End of London
East End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
.