In partnership with Tabayer.
Space, as we know it, is forever changing. Interior and external, personal and communal, mental and physical – continuously evolving and taking on new meaning oftentimes, without us knowing. Never has this sentiment been more true than throughout the last 18 months; a time when our understanding of the personal and communal has shifted drastically. While our relationship with space may have changed (and will continue to), the moments of quiet and personal reflection that this change affords are invaluable. A lesson, Nigora Tokhtabayeva, founder of fine jewellery brand Tabayer, is championing through her latest visual essay with photographer Lina Scheynius.
Based in the United States, Tokhtabayeva's creations for Tabayer draw on the symbology of protection – a commitment she has channeled into a positive physical reality for her new collection. Set to be released in autumn 2021, Tokhtabayeva reinterprets protective talismans with concerns for the health of the planet at heart. The upcoming collection has been crafted exclusively from environmentally and ethically conscious materials, featuring Fairmined gold and ethically sourced Kimberley-certified diamonds.
Tokhtabayeva's vision takes on new meaning in the hands of Sweden-born, London-based photographer Lina Scheynius. Similarly to the Tabayer ethos, personal reflection is synonymous with the aesthetic of her work; resulting in a raw, candid and diary-style sensibility. In anticipation of the upcoming launch, Scheynius was invited by Tokhtabayeva to reflect on her own archive of images through a lens of metaphysical protection.
Through this exploration, Scheynius identified five words to unite her introspection – personal, intimate, femininity, otherworldly and magic – resulting in a moving and reflective visual essay. The marriage of colour and grayscale photography, self-portraits, atmospheric landscapes and abstract close-ups speak to the characteristics that drive her métier.
Wrapped in shadow, Scheynius’ sister enters a moonlit lake near the Swedish city of Trollhättan; the twinkling headlights of taxi cabs illuminate the blurred nighttime skyline of New York; slices of blood orange highly saturated in their citrus shades; Scheynius herself sits on a fuschia bedspread, only her bare legs visible, cradling a talismanic crystal between her ankles.
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"It was interesting looking at my work through someone else’s eyes,” Scheynius explains of the project. “I found treasures and some surprises that I could bring back to life.”
Lina Scheynius and Tabayer's visual essay will be released sporadically on the Tabayer Instagram page throughout the next few months.
