ABOUT MARINA TYLER
One of my earliest memories is a tiny brooch belonging to a friend in kindergarten — red glass set in worn metal. It wasn't fine jewelry. To me, it was treasure. I remember the density of it in my hand, and that a small object could hold that much attention.
I was born in Kazakhstan, in a house where geology and drawing were kept on the same table. Both began on paper — maps, sketches — until the material got involved. A drawing forgives; rock and metal do not.
The forms I make still look like what was on that table. A section through rock. A cavity with layers radiating out from it.
After the Gemological Institute of America I started RyKier to work in that space — to build forms with an artist's eye and hold them to an engineer's tolerances.
THE NAME
RyKier combines the names of my sons, Ryan and Kieran.
THE SURFACE IS THE FORM
I design the relief and the shape together. Each opening and edge sets how the ridges turn and how deep the recesses go. Where a ridge fades and which edge stays polished is decided before the piece goes to casting. Every new piece is built this way. That is what makes a piece mine. Not a logo on the back.
Cast and finished at one foundry in Bangkok, Thailand, by the same team each time.
THE PROCESS: DIGITAL MIND, HUMAN HAND
I digitally sculpt each piece in Pittsburgh. By the time a file leaves the screen, the depth of every recess is decided.