Could you tell me a little about yourself?

My name is Andy Aelenei. Suceava is my hometown. I’ve been making jewelry from upcycled electronic waste for about three years now, and since high school I fell in love with making art and creating stuff with my hands. I am passionate about visual expression and I went to film school in Cluj-Napoca. The other half of the brain inside the Precious Circuit is Dana Rusu, my colleague. Without her deciding to team up with me from the beginning, the whole project would not have gotten where it is now.

How did you get started in jewelry making, and what inspired you to pursue it as a career?

I've been lucky enough to start experimenting with upcycled printed circuit boards and to find my passion for the material early on. I believe the Idea came to me because I’ve always had an interest in machine aesthetics and at that time I was making collages from technical drawings found in old books. Following such a career started to become my main drive after we’ve discovered what a beautiful impact we can have on society and realize what a fruitful and artistic approach we can have if we keep doing what we do.

What materials do you most enjoy working with, and why?

For now I only work with brass and electronic waste but I would really like to start using silver, stabilized wood, vinyl records and stainless steel. Mechanical and analog components are also a material I really enjoy working with. Before gravitating towards upcycling waste, I made jewelry out of broken film cameras and I cannot wait until I will revisit this material in a new collection we plan on making. It’s another type of story that the material can tell. Mechanized objects are charged with more emotional attachments from people. These come from an era where rapid consumption and planned obsolescence did not become the norm and some film cameras saw through the lens more than one generation of people that used it in one family and making jewelry out of these objects makes people feel a connection to their ancestors and that is a great thing.

Can you walk us through the creation of one of your recent pieces, from inspiration to finished product?

I’ll talk a little bit about a necklace in the form of a leaf. The idea came to me a few years back after a discussion I had with my best friend, Radu. He studies biology and told me about how locust trees are a bit parasitic in the ecosystem and are not even originally from our country even though we have traditional songs about them. For some reason that discussion stuck with me and I’ve associated this type of tree with the way that we, as humans, have a parasitic relationship with our resources. We take more and more and don’t give back. This is what this piece means to me: an organic form that is at the same time made from the result of a destructive society which reflects our way of being.

After the Idea and concept is mature enough, I start finding technical ways to bring it to life, in this case selectively cutting the circuit board so that the two halves resemble as closely as possible the leaf ribs of a dry plant.

What role do you believe jewelry plays in our culture, and why is it important?

Since modern humans evolved, our ancestors had a tendency to adorn themselves with all sorts of types of jewelry. You can still see this tradition in untouched tribes these days. I believe it’s at its core a tangible connection to the spiritual, the abstract, the cosmos. It expresses your beliefs and way of being. These days I personally see a very important new role that (upcycled) jewelry has, that is to spread the message of making conscious decisions in our lives and being more generous as a whole in giving back to nature and stop being so separated from it. We have to find our lost roots. Jewelry and the upcycling movement plays a big part in changing our toxic ways of living.

Who are some of your biggest artistic influences, and why?

Davin Lynch, Van Neistat, Tom Sachs and the band Radiohead are a few examples. Artists particular in their vision that the pop culture, trends and media cannot dilute because through following the particularity of the craft, it has brought them the gift of resonating to the core of people's hearts. They don't make art that's got that pretentious veil or anything. These people celebrate humanity and express it through means that anybody already has the tools to find himself in the works, even if you are not interested in the arts or if you are an intelligent person.

What do you hope people feel or think when they see your jewelry?

I hope they find abstract meaning in the patterns and design. We all have that, seeing a face where there's none or trying to give a sense of meaning to certain situations. I really appreciate and feel fulfilled when people attribute their own meaning to my works. It's the same process I have when I make them and I'm really glad when it happens to others too.

What are some of the challenges you face as a contemporary jewelry artist, and how do you overcome them?

For now I'm just trying to get my craft out there so I'm not a established jewelry artist to speak more about this topic from experience

Can you talk about a project or piece of jewelry that you are particularly proud of, and why?

That would be a topographic map of nature's beauty layered in electronic waste. It's a piece that forms wonder through it's technical aesthetics and underlines a tangible problem that we all face. It calls for action against the mountains of waste that we are creating for we need to get back our connection to nature.

How do you handle creative blocks or periods of low motivation?

Creative blocks don't come often to me. For now, I don't need to come up with a certain number of design ideas or collection concepts per month so there is no pressure to squeeze my creative spirit in that regard. Ideas are allowed to pop in my head naturally, whenever it happens and that is enough because in between projects I have to make multiple pieces of the same type so there's no pressure to come up with ideas constantly. As for how I handle low motivation, whenever it comes, I know that I have to take a day off and have some alone time with my thoughts in the forest. That usually resolves the problem and if I don't do that I know I'm just gonna become more unproductive.

How do you see your work evolving in the future, and what new techniques or materials are you interested in exploring?

Focusing on telling more stories and concepts that are more relatable to people. Making pieces that are closer to the human spirit is my main goal. I would love to work with stabilized wood for example and make a collection in which the circuit fragments represent our complex consciousness and our damaging evolution as a society and the wood is our lost nature and the flowness that exists in our surroundings.This is a good example of the approach I'd like to take in the future.

What have been some of the biggest milestones or accomplishments in your career so far?

For us as a company, It's winning 2 business incubators and going to Romanian Jewelry Week last year.

Can you describe a typical day in your studio?

The steps are divided in multiple days. One whole day can be really boring to talk about because I might be doing one step all day. Usually it consists of a lot of problem solving and improvisation until I upcycle the components. It's a complicated process with a lot of factors to consider and after that part is done and the circuit boards and brass sheets are cut (which takes multiple days for a single batch) well, after that I can actually start the assembly stage that is much more controlled and gets my creative juices flowing.

What are some of the most memorable reactions or responses you have received to your work?

Usually it's people that don't realize my jewelry is made from discarded electronics and ask questions like: "What kind of stone is this?" or "Ok, I get it but the lines are made by you, right?”

How do you measure success as an artist?

Reaching a financial situation in life where you don't create certain artworks that you feel are your magnum opus in terms of artistic value for money. Having not a single process altering that idea that you feel that is most truthful and having the resources at hand to make it, I believe it's the zenith of success an artist can have. The opportunity to be able to separate what you need to create and what you make for paying your living expenses and/or family is the most wonderful thing. These Ideas are not bound by having to make a relevant piece that suits your audience or certain types of trends, no no!! These are ideas that just HAVE to be brought into this world and it doesn't matter how many people are impacted by them or other factors. A lot of artists I love have reached that wonderful zone. David Lynch doesn't paint for money. He made his money making films. Radiohead, Board of Canada and Aphex Twin are music bands that have made far more music than what's released and they keep it for their close friends and family because it's their best work and because they chose to do that.

What is the most rewarding aspect of being a jewelry artist?

For me it's knowing that right now some people somewhere wear my creations. I love this idea that fragments of the circuit boards that once served a single scope, are now spread across the country and connect people (physically through the continuation of the copper lines) for a single positive cause.

How do you approach finding inspiration for your work, and what advice would you give to other artists struggling with creative block?

I find it in everything and I don't see myself as being a guru in that regard but I've learned a lot from the creative process of David Lynch so I would recommend him to artists struggling with creative block.

How do you incorporate sustainability and ethical considerations into your work as a jewelry artist?

By working with the waste material itself. We really hope to upcycle more and more electronics in the future and on the other half of the brand's brain is Dana, that really takes care of spreading our message of conscious living.

What are your favorite things to do outside of making jewelry?

Right now it is going in nature. I've made jewelry making a priority and we are not yet fully developed so there's not really much time for my other passions but these are: mixed media artworks, making music videos, film photography and others.

What are some of your favorite things to do or places to go for inspiration?

The forest near my town, again :) and being high up on a building, abandoned places and day to day life, because there are stories and ideas and magic in everyday life.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received, and how have you applied it to your life and work?

A text from the German poet Schiller written by Gustav Klimt on a painting that reads: 'If you cannot please everyone with your actions and your art, you should satisfy a few. To please many is dangerous.' a friend of mine has this tattooed and it really helped me through my life. It gave me a sort of humble approach to creating art and not worrying so much. It taught me that the process has to come naturally and that I'll learn by doing the feeling of where to go with my art.

What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out in jewelry making?

Experiment as much as you can, even if you don't know as much technical stuff as you think you should. Learn by doing and see what attracts you through the eyes of a child, take it and play with it.

The Story of Precious Circuit