A Necklace That Turns Your Neckline Into a Mini Photo Wall

Check out this unique necklace created by artist Ashley Gilreath last year. Called “I Am Who They Were,” the piece is designed to represent Gilreath’s memories of climbing up the stairway in her grandparents’ house — a stairway lined with family photographs.

This necklace was made to represent the memory of my grandparent’s long staircase in their house. I want the viewer to see my history as the necklace wraps around, and to feel the sensation of climbing up and down the stairs as the images of my family line the walls. More importantly, I wanted my skin to show through as my family’s skin, so that my stories, my life and who I am as an individual is shown as the sum of all of the people that came before me.

Gilreath casted the dollhouse photo frames herself from sterling silver and bronze, and then printed miniature versions of her family photographs directly onto the glass in each one.

The two ends of the necklace connect to each other using a custom box clasp mechanism designed by Gilreath.

You can find more of Gilreath’s artwork over on her website.

I Am Who They Were [Ashley Gilreath via Laughing Squid]


Image credits: Photographs by Ashley Gilreath

Discussion