Background

In my diploma project at ENSCi les Ateliers, I'm exploring the story of my family's emigration, from Romania to France, via 30 years of life in Africa.

I'm deconstructing my grandparents' oral accounts, isolating the emotions of the moments they experienced, and transcribing their story into objects

Process

In 1989, the Romanian Communist regime of Ceaucescu collapsed. Thousands of orphans were left homeless. In Bucharest, they descend into the city's underground tunnels to spend the winter. Little by little, a parallel society of orphans and survivors takes shape beneath Bucharest.

These orphans are protected by a man nicknamed Bruce Lee, King of the Sewers. He wears a silver leather jacket adorned with medals, and paints his skull with Aurolac, a silver paint, almost wearing a silver helmet.

In keeping with the stories my grandmother used to tell me about anti-abortion laws, I redesigned Bruce Lee's helmet to pay homage to him and to this generation of abandoned children.

The helmet is made in nylon 3D printing.

Credits

This project was conceived at ENSCi les Ateliers, under the guidance of Teddy Sanches, designer at Hall Haus.

Photos by me. Video from the film Bruce Lee and the Outlaws, directed by Joost Vandebrug.

More about Bruce Lee : here