The collaboration of science and art as a creative medium has always been of huge inspiration to my practise as a small scale maker. My current work has been influence by crystal growth combined with the ancient art of Alchemy. Considering the crystal as a living being, led me to draw comparisons between embryo growth and crystal development. The chemical make up and crystal habit of the stone became reminiscent of the DNA structure, and the concept of the human womb was portrayed as the natural fractures and cavities within the lower surface of the earth’s crust, where the chemicals combined and create the final outcome, the crystal. The proposition of mother earth providing a womb for crystal growth and the fertility of the earth is also supported by the theories of alchemists, who believed that every organic object has its own natural environment.
Raw state is descriptive of fertilisation, the facetted stone posing as the seed, the emergence of oxide eroded copper pods through a solid layer of moss and lawn feed. Transitional state represents growth and change, displaying taller silver pods containing cabochon gemstones, the moss on this Life-form is burnt and mixed with lawn feed. Perfect state is descriptive of the final stage or maturity of the life-form. Gold pods, which protrude a dense layer of crystallised moss, include a variation of taxidermy glass eyes, uncut black diamonds and raw green…..crystals.
This piece is a three band, Russian wedding ring consisting of my three value-symbolic Alchemy metals, lead, silver and gold.
