Who ever said there was nothing scientific about jewellery has obviously never met Luke Maninov, who combines his love for neuroscience and anatomy with his passion for fashion and jewellery, and the result is quite extraordinary.
After graduating in neuroscience and psychology, Luke decided to combine his love of photography with microimaging to study cellular activity related to disease response and cancer through digital film. With this, he co-authored several papers focusing on potential disease treatment, which led to further research studying biological rhythms. Luke then took some time away from research to study design, but returned to neuroscience shortly after.
He is now leading a neuroscientific micromanaging facility where he works alongside researchers studying consciousness, sleep, Alzheimer's desease and Schizophrenia. Here he teaches and develops new methods for imaging neurons and brain tissue along with novel ways of exploring the beautiful images captured using these techniques.
“The process of making an idea into something tangible, sharing it, and seeing it used in the context of fashion or as something someone connects with, is incredibly rewarding,” Luke says. “It’s bringing together all the organic forms into something that is wearable and has an aesthetic beauty.”
Using his background and experience of anatomy, physiology, design, photography and jewellery fabrication, Luke can now translate science and nature into unique sculpture and wearable art. His first collections were launched in 2012 and he has since been awarded with an Exhibition Development Award (QCA/ Flying Arts) and an Australian RAW Designer Award, as well as showcases in both Australia and Japan.
Luke's work in neuroscience heavily influences his creations, and as a result his jewellery is often hard to characterise. Although some pieces are more masculine and others more feminine, Luke ensures that all his pieces are unisex, making his intriguing and complex creations appealing to a wide range of people.
His pieces are predominantly made from a technique called wax casting, which allows him to make a wax form of the pieces before it is cast into metal, often silver. This allows Luke to create complex designs with very fine detail. However, despite the simplicity of using wax carving, he also uses natural objects and textures in order to achieve realistic detail that could otherwise be too difficult to replicate.
Luke has launched a kickstarter project to fund his upcoming exhibition of his newest collection, 'In This Unfolding'. This collection focuses on representing neural form and states of consciousness through delicate fine silver and gold jewellery alongside intricate sterling silver sculptures. The exhibition will be hosted by Griffith University Queensland College of Art on 6-30 May.
Luke’s ongoing work running a leading neuroscience microimaging facility means this exhibition is also intended to create awareness for neuroscience disease research. Money for Alzheimer’s Disease and Motor Neuron Disease research will be raised through the sale of selected works on display.
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