5.56 - The Aesthetics of Violence

5.56 is a jewelry collection that examines the aesthetic dimension of violence. Each piece incorporates a real, fired 5.56 bullet, an object designed for destruction, recontextualized through craft, material refinement, and scale.

The collection is intentionally confrontational. These are not replicas or symbols, but authentic remnants of use. Removed from their original context and placed on the human body, the bullets reveal unexpected organic geometries, forms shaped by function, force, and physics.

When worn as jewelry, the question becomes unavoidable:
Can something inherently associated with violence be perceived as beautiful?
And if so, where does that beauty originate, from the object itself, or from the context in which it is presented?

Each bullet element is collected, processed, and mounted into sterling silver rings, finished with 18K gold, rose gold, rhodium, or ruthenium. The contrast between precious metals and violent origins is central to the work.

5.56 does not seek to aestheticize violence, but to expose how meaning shifts through transformation. How form, material, and proximity to the body can alter perception.