Beyond convention

Ruwini JAYAWARDANA

It is a gallery, a jewellery display and a runway all in one. Just like its trademark creative jewellery Sifani's latest jewellery premise located at Colombo 3 boasts of innovation and creativity. Step in through the opening and become enveloped by beauty.

A row of elegant female figures in striking poses illuminated by the lights dazzles you. White hued hands springing out of the walls behind you are frozen in striking gestures. The clear white surroundings are the perfect setting to highlight the exquisite handcrafted jewellery pieces which boasts of grandeur and elegance.

“The retail industry is moving away from just selling a product and this idea is spreading quickly in Sri Lanka. The gallery not only showcases jewellery but other forms of creative arts as well. What you see are not mannequins but individually created pieces of sculpture. The white cube sets off whatever is on display,” teaM ARCHITRAVE's architect Madhura Prematilleke explained the theory behind the gallery.

Prematilleke is the winner of numerous design awards, including a design competition for the prestigious Jaffna Cultural Centre in January 2012. His work has been published internationally, including in the Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary Architecture.

He adds that Sifani Gallery will be the venue for other art related creations which can blend into jewellery.

“It will also host events connected to the arts. There is an area which is designed as a catwalk for the sculptures. There is a display unit. There is also a section for the jewellery bar. Sculptures that are semi immersed in the wall add variety to the surroundings,” he said. He notes that the premise had been a basement before they took over the designing process.

He said, “The difficulty we faced was in achieving this quality of finish. It has not been done before. We had to pay attention to the lighting as well because it has to be illuminated to capture the motions of the figures.”

Speaking about the sculptures which adorn the gallery award winning sculptor Pala Pothupitiye of the Korathota Design Group said that the sculptures resemble the movements of fusion dance forms.

“The sculptures are made of fiberglass The embellishments on the dresses are actual sequins and costume jewellery items embedded into the work . The dress itself is shown as a piece of jewellery and are drawn from the idea of pieces of glass jwellery that adorn dance costumes. We had to experimented with the material. The project took one and a half years to design,” said the gifted sculptor who emerges from a family of ritual dancers. Pothupitiye is also the winner of the Sovereign Art Asian Prize, Hong Kong, 2010, and Best Artist of the year the State Art Festival, Sri Lanka, 2003.

“We have nearly 25 branches overseas. We felt that it is time that we had a significant presence in Colombo. We did not want to have the stereotyped display outlet but something different. Prematilleke has handled some of our overseas projects. He came up with this innovative concept,” Sifani Managing Director Sahabdeen said.

Many fashionistas have ‘oohed and aahed’ over the contemporary and versatile pieces of the renowned jewellery brand .One piece, a diamond pendant with the design on both sides, even won the Award of the Jewellery Design Competition 2010 presented by the Sri Lanka Gem and Jewellery Association (SLGJA). Based on the environment theme the jewellery item was designed by Achini Indika and resembles the rings of a tree when it is cut. Elaborating on Sifani's trademark aspects Sahabdeen noted that most of their pieces are designed to suit clothes of various shades. Most of the rings and pendants encompasses ways in which you can change colours or change the shape of the piece. He said that the jewllery items adorning the sculptures will be changed from time to time.

“We emphasis on coloured stone jewellery. We have a panel of about three designers and they cater to the demands of the customers,” he explained. Sahabdeen's link with the glitter trade roots from his mother's side. The family had been suppliers for some of the most renowned venues in the world from the past.

“We decided to turn to jewellery making when tourism was at its peak in Sri Lanka. We took the concept over to places like the Maldives, Seychelles, London and some of the top hotels in the world,” he said adding that the name originated from the first letter in the surnames of its founder directors.

Sifani Gallery opens its doors to the public at the beginning of next month.