Extinction Brooch Series
The Extinction Series is presented as an homage to Jane Goodall (1934–2025), whose lifelong dedication to endangered species profoundly shaped global understanding of care, responsibility, and coexistence. Oya had hoped to share this series with her; however, following her unexpected passing on 1 October 2025, the Extinction Series became a quiet tribute to her legacy.
Each brooch in the Extinction Series is a quiet act of remembrance. Hand-woven from hundreds of tiny seed and bugle beads, these miniature sculptures portray some of the world’s most endangered animals, capturing not only their form, but the tenderness and vulnerability of lives on the brink.
Small in scale yet profound in intent, the series unites meticulous craftsmanship with ecological awareness, inviting viewers to witness, to care, and not to forget.
Glass beads, materials that catch light and carry centuries of craft tradition, are woven slowly and deliberately, echoing the patience and attention required to protect these species. These brooches are not merely decorative objects; they are intimate memorials and calls for awareness. Together, they form a beaded elegy and a celebration of lifeforms we may one day know only through stories and art.
In creating the Extinction Brooch Series, I intentionally depicted each endangered animal in a cute, softened, and approachable form. Humans have an innate tendency to protect what we perceive as cute (large eyes, rounded bodies, gentle expressions). These features trigger care, empathy, and a desire to nurture.
By reshaping endangered species through this aesthetic language, the series invites viewers to feel connection before they feel loss. It uses the emotional immediacy of cuteness not as decoration, but as a quiet provocation: Why do we respond more readily to what we find adorable, and what does that mean for the species that do not fit this mould?
These tiny, tender portrayals ask us to hold both vulnerability and responsibility, to recognise that every species, cute or not, deserves protection. The brooches become companions, reminders, and guardians of lives on the brink, encouraging us to look more closely, care more deeply, and act with intention.
There is also a more profound truth underlying this series: every species is a repository of knowledge. Endangered animals are not only living beings but biological blueprints, unique evolutionary designs shaped over millions of years. They carry insights that can inspire discoveries in medicine, materials science, ecology, and technology. When a species disappears, we lose a life form and an irreplaceable body of biological intelligence. Protecting biodiversity is therefore not only an ethical responsibility but a scientific necessity. Every creature, whether cute, strange, or overlooked, holds a meaningful place in the planet’s grand design. Each loss erases a page from the world’s archive of possibilities and discoveries.
The Extinction Brooch Series makes this fragility visible while carrying a quiet hope: an invitation to look more carefully, feel more deeply, and reconsider our relationship with the other living beings who share our world.