Work in progress designer's profile III - Sanna Heino

After training as a goldsmith at Koulutuskeskus Salpaus in Lahti, Sanna left her native Finland to study at the Birmingham School of Jewellery.

In her collection she investigates themes of home and identity, relying on her own experience of moving abroad and the great impact it had on her: "how home sickness affects the way you see everything".

Thinking of the home she had left and trying to find her own place in a new country, her new self, she recognises the need to establish her own inner connections and personal points of reference.

"I looked at maps as they show you where you come from, where you are and they prevent you from getting lost. That gave me an idea - a piece of jewellery that is a map, not a literal one but a resemblance of a place, of a time, of you."

Sanna's drawings are a beautiful fusion of literal and imagined, combining clear lines of traditional maps with the intricate thicket of what may be delicate roots and branches, a river delta or the nervous system.

She then translates these visual qualities with great ease into exciting three dimensional models.





Photos and drawings by Sanna Heino

Sanna concludes : "I’m delighted to mark my own path into my map, I hope you’ll find your way too!"