INFO
| Name | Ningyi Hu (she/her) |
| Also known as | 胡宁以 |
| Born | 1998 |
| Country of Birth | China |
| Place of Residence | Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland |
| Ethnicities | Chinese |
| Artform | Design, Visual arts |
| Decades Active | 2020s |
ABOUT
Ningyi Hu 胡宁以 is a Shenzhen-born jewellery maker based in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. Through her brand pl.at.fo.rm, she adapts traditional silver wax casting methods, combining them with found objects and playful materials.
Pl.at.fo.rm started out as an online archive for the silver rings and precious stone necklaces Hu made for her friends, and she describes going to Auckland Beads on the North Shore to pick out the most ‘vibey’ natural freshwater pearls, garnets, imperial jaspers and jade stones. For The Happy Kids Archive, she created a tutorial on crafting DIY bead earrings.
Hu believes in taking a reckless and spontaneous approach to adornments. She has a jewellery station at home where she does wax moulding and polishing, a process she finds fun and unpredictable. She first cuts the wax into shape with a saw and then melts it with a lighter, stopping when she feels happy. Her favourite show to watch when making jewellery is See You Again, a Chinese reality TV show about couples who are getting a divorce.
In 2023, Hu undertook a residency at The Keep. The end result, a showcase named Collection 5, featured hand-welded chains and free-form silver rings in a large reptile terrarium petting zoo.
Hu graduated with a BFA (Hons) from Elam School of Fine Arts at the University of Auckland. She has also graduated from Dev Academy Aotearoa where she trained as a full-stack web developer.
