Coordinates 3

D’un verd àrid

N 41° 22’ 8. 04’ E 2° 10’ 20. 39”

D’un verd àrid

In Sala Perill I saw the pieces our jewellers have today put on display and right away I felt compelled to visit the cactus garden that spawned the ideas for these creations.

First off I should say that what I saw was no cactus garden, I saw humongous creatures, bodies draped in beautiful original jewellery: on ears, necks, hats, lapels... multitudes of greens, textures and shapes.

Cacti grow slowly..., which gives them time to become familiar with their environment, and adjust to their surroundings. Some strive upward in search of sunlight, others dive forth in harmonious curves, seeking earth or the wall, others sit down, in groups, careful not to let even the tiniest bit of food get away, and they feel locked in, taking in stride the many obstacles that stand between them and fresh air.

At the moment (my visit to the garden was in mid-February) the cacti have yet to flower, but soon their buds will sprout and they will bare practically all the colours of the rainbow, giving the green a more showy quality.

I will come back to see them again.

Each one of the jewellers saw the same garden, but each one saw her own, and the work of each one is absolutely personal. Nicole used fabrics to craft cacti that are almost human-like, supple, from which minuscule flowers emerge.

It is the flowers themselves that take on relevance in Clara’s pieces. She scatters them, pinks, reds and blues, among the assorted greens.

Carla casts her gaze to the ground and finds forgotten objects of all kinds, usually reddish, which she then incorporates into her pieces.

Lola explores the many tones of green that her pottery yields and fashions her cacti accordingly. She then pairs it with other materials.

For Silvia, the cacti are giant warriors for whom she crafts powerful, multihued pieces.

Bruna Scotto 2016