Lately I've been focused on building new systems to do sample analysis of seawater. I built new improved system called REDICS II, which is the second generation of the Rapid Extraction of Dissolved Inorganic Carbon System. In the late 1980s, a program that’s now called GO-SHIP created stations all over the world in order to study ocean currents. They collect seawater periodically at different depths, and they send it to us at NOSAMS for analysis. We use REDICS to extract the dissolved inorganic carbon from the seawater in the form of carbon dioxide and convert it to graphite. Then we process it with our accelerator mass spectrometer for radiocarbon isotope analysis. And this is how we get a glimpse of ocean circulation around the world at depth.
I always need to create something, and this project has been a combination of doing something meaningful in science and doing something fun. I try to use a lot of ingenuity and use the materials that are available to create parts of the system, which is kind of the same process that I use in creating my art pieces.
I don't think I can resist not making art. It centers me. It's a place where I can be quiet and be in my own element. It allows me to step back from the daily life and the routine and all the demands, and just step back to myself. I've always just found the time to work with my hands. I think I have to.
How did I land on jewelry making? I think I've kind of scaled down to smaller things, to be honest. It's easier to create and you get instant gratification from getting it done. After having kids, it's very hard to focus on bigger pieces! And it's fun to play with the laser cutter. I really enjoy working with wood, so I started with just laser-cutting some wooden pieces, and then I was like, “Oh, maybe I can combine it with different media, like polymer clay and watercolor and resin.” Resin in particular has this thick watery ocean look. So it's been really fun to play with making something solid look like liquid.
I grew up going to the Black Sea a lot of the summers, and then I was on the West Coast for college, and then we came here [to Cape Cod]. So I don't think I can live far away from the ocean. A lot of my inspiration comes from there, but it's all the shapes and forms of nature. My daughter and I, every time we go to the beach, we go treasure hunting, finding little shells and rocks —everything is an inspiration.
I'm also inspired by other artists and like to imagine how they have made the piece. I know how hard they work, but I also know how gratifying the process is. And I love that people can contribute to this world in that way. And I hope when people wear my jewelry, they can have that feeling. I hope they love it and they kind of treasure the piece. I mean, I think that when you see something handmade, you kind of connect to the person who made it. Then when you possess it, it has that extra special something.
A selection of Gospodinova's Kaligo Design jewelry is available for sale at the WHOI Store.
