The Invitation, The Hoops and The Warrior
- nikahcosta
- Sep 14, 2023
- 4 min read
Not many people know, but at the beginning of 2023, I had a very serious anxiety attack - among other symptoms, my fingers were swollen, I could barely feel my arms and it was very difficult to breathe. My doctor asked me to slow down and I took a few days of rest to find my way again.
The Invitation
It was during this bed rest that I received a message from my dear Vanessa Noronha, inviting me for a coffee and then we could talk about an invitation to participate in the 11th Cultural Festival of Brazil here in Vienna.
I got myself together, we scheduled a chat for the following week and at that meeting, I had the opportunity to show some pieces, explain what exactly I do and together we explored various possibilities for me to be part of this wonderful event that celebrates art and Brazilian culture here in Austria.
I returned home still not really understanding what had happened, because since I chose to work with accessories, I defined myself as a "jewellery maker" and I had just been seen as an artist. And I felt really proud of myself and a universe of new opportunities opened up.
Of course, I accepted the invitation with love and gratitude, as well as indescribable butterflies in my stomach.
The Hoops
In other meetings, we decided that I would make the earrings that would make up the costumes of some dancers and a piece for exhibition. In harmony with the costumes and according to the 'orixás' that will be represented by them, we defined the colours for the earrings:
* Blue: Iemanjá
* Lilac: Nanã
* Yellow: Oxum
* Red: Iansã
I had all the freedom I needed to decide everything else and I loved the challenge!
These flowery hoops were done after many hours of work, I admit that they included moments of nervousness and stress too, but my heart was filled with gratitude for being chosen to make them - and also, for having a "Latina friend" in my life, who encouraged me to colour these flowery hoops in a very Brazilian vibe!
The earrings, so present in my daily work and in theory, would be simpler to create, they took weeks to be completed, while the work for exhibition took much longer to be conceived.
The Warrior
During my process of creating the art piece, I worked with the theme of Afro futurism always in mind. Translating my understanding of the subject into a work was very challenging.
Little by little, my piece was sketched and planned, I did a colour study, I selected the best brands of polymer clay to be used in the process, I purchased the material - which included cowrie shells brought from Brazil by my mother - until I was able to begin the long modelling process.
The Warrior took shape and as always, art comes to life on our benches and little by little, the initial project no longer looked like the one that materialized on my work table - and that's great!
The Warrior was born with the idea of being a necklace of large proportions. Its upper part, shaped like a choker, received the application of cowrie shells and several layers of copper polymer clay, I used Kato and Fimo Effect.
The oversized pendant features as its central work a technique borrowed from embroidery, called Bargello. The metallic colours were chosen and studied carefully, I only used Cernit Metallic in this construction. Yellow, orange, red, green, turquoise and black - the colours that, in my illusory understanding, refer to the Afro scene, all with a metallic touch, representing in a certain way the semi-robotic futurism of our imagination. The "embroidery" was shaped and cured, then covered with Fimo Effect copper and a new cure.
I found the pendant too small at this point. I started the layering work, with Fimo Soft and then Cernit Metallic and the application of the shells, set one by one in detailed work with dotting tools.
At the end, fringes inspired by spears, used as a defence instrument. A thin sheet of Fimo Leather Effect was cured, then cut out freehand and the fringes glued to the end of the pendant. Later, they received a mixture of Sculpey gloss and PVClay gold pigment on the edge.
With the work almost finished, I realized that my embroidery was actually a mask, therefore it should have eyes and a mouth.
Except for the cowrie shells, the small piece of felt that lines the choker and the synthetic suede straps that connect the two components, The Warrior was made only with polymer clay shaped by hand, without cutters.
It took a few months of work and a total of 9 cures in the oven for the piece to be ready.
The Reflection
Every artistic work carries with it a little bit of its creator and today, admiring the finished work and reflecting on it, it is clear that there is a little bit of me and my story in it. Created in a moment of pure vulnerability, I translate the rescue of the past into strength to support my steps on a path not yet explored - the future.
Through this work, I celebrate African culture through its colours, using jewellery as a tool to invoke and exalt the power and strength of African warrior ancestors, highlighting cowrie shells as an ornament and instrument of spiritual protection.
Work: The Warrior
Material: polymer clay and cowries
Technique: free modelling in polymer clay and bargello in polymer clay
Size: 40x50 cm
Dedicated to my "young warrior", Owen. 🧡
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