Date of Award
Spring 5-31-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Department
Jewelry and Metalsmithing
First Advisor
Timothy Veske-McMahon
Second Advisor
Lauren Fensterstock
Third Advisor
Rana Young
Abstract
In this thesis, I will discuss the psychology behind object attachment in the doll-keeping subculture by integrating doll language into contemporary jewelry. I researched the Chinese term “Pi” as an accurate way of explaining how doll-keepers are attached to their dolls. In this 21st century, the widespread use of social media and AI technologies have deepened people's reliance on virtual spaces, leading to emotional detachment in our society. Adopting the concept of “Pi” into contemporary jewelry, which encourages a shift in focus towards external objects, the practice of doll-keeping becomes a form of self-care that compensates for our current loneliness epidemic. Through the art form of jewelry, I analyze the complex and intricate relationships between doll-keepers and dolls. I utilize photography as a way of gazing at the jewelry’s interaction with humans, revealing the unseen connections between the object and the body. The medium of jewelry will bridge the lesser-known doll-keeping subculture with a wider audience. Through the combination of jewelry and attachment theory, my works demonstrate a potential therapeutic effect on loneliness.
Recommended Citation
FAN, YUQI, "Of Dolls and Jewels : Keeping as a Strategy of Care and Belonging" (2025). Masters Theses. 1379.
https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/masterstheses/1379
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Included in
Clinical Psychology Commons, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Language Interpretation and Translation Commons, Metal and Jewelry Arts Commons, Personality and Social Contexts Commons, Photography Commons, Therapeutics Commons