Date of Award
Spring 5-22-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Department
Jewelry and Metalsmithing
First Advisor
Seth Papac
Second Advisor
Melissa Marcotte
Third Advisor
Thupten Tendhar
Abstract
This thesis examines how individuals remain intact in the presence of emotional difficulty. Rather than treating protection as withdrawal, the research proposes that stability emerges through the construction of an interior structure capable of holding vulnerability without collapse. Drawing on psychological theory, philosophy, and spatial thinking, it frames emotional repair as a spatial condition: an interior that can contain experience and be returned to when external conditions become unstable.
Within this framework, jewelry is redefined as a material extension of this interior. Positioned between body and world, it operates as a structure of containment, functioning as a portable space that supports continuity and return. Historical and cultural precedents, including Chinese jade traditions and Buddhist conch symbolism, are examined alongside contemporary artistic practices to understand how objects mediate between exposure and protection.
The studio work develops two series: Conditions of Allowing and Structures of Holding. The former explores controlled access to interior space through openable forms that require deliberate engagement, while the latter establishes containment through enclosed structures that can be worn or held, negotiating proximity and distance. Through processes of layering, repair, and material transformation, the work proposes that vulnerability is not eliminated, but structured.
Ultimately, the thesis argues that protection is not the refusal of contact, but the capacity to remain in relation to experience without disintegration, sustained through an interior that can be formed, held, and returned to over time.
Recommended Citation
Li, Yuhao, "Jewelry as a Portable Sanctuary" (2026). Masters Theses. 1548.
https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/masterstheses/1548
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Included in
Aesthetics Commons, Art and Materials Conservation Commons, Art Practice Commons, Contemporary Art Commons, Fine Arts Commons, Metal and Jewelry Arts Commons, Modern Art and Architecture Commons, Philosophy of Mind Commons