Heaven Bodies Retrospective

My fascination with religious iconography derives from the notion that there was once a time where the majority was illiterate, inciting a need for symbols and color coding to propagate church literature. That story was further built upon as humanity developed, and now, we see these once instrumental designs used to create depth in fashion, movies, music, etc.

The Met this summer hosted the exhibition "Heavenly Bodies" ,which I must confess has been my favorite Met Gala theme by light years. Taking the wardrobe that has been reserved for the elite of the church and having it perverted by the royalty of Hollywood in their self importance is a historical parallel that probably makes every art history nerd giggle with glee.  Having grown up in the Catholic church, I'm very aware articles of clothing are indicative of status within the church.  Different outfits mean you rank a certain way, so having Rihanna dress as the highest church rank possible, that takes a lifetime to achieve, and a vote to secure, cracks me up especially since she is a woman doing so.  And above all else, the outfit was stunning, as was it's counter part in the exhibition by John Galliano for Christian Dior.

Walking into the exhibition you are swallowed by the scintillating gold mosaic, jewelry, and vestments lit and alive under the museum hot lights. On one side a line of Byzantine mosaic inspired Dolce & Gabbana dresses, the other side a more modern aesthetic of 90's Gianni Versace garments.

The dresses were displayed above the viewer, forcing you too look up with the same devotion you would show an alter or stain glass in a church.  The importance dictated by position, setting the mood of the show. The Met's permanent collection surrounded this linear path that pulled you along deeper into the museum.

The common thread of the first two rooms was gold. Encased were ancient relics of a time when Christianity was new and Justinian & Theodora were attempting to make Rome great again. Metal-smiths painstakingly planishing containers of gold, hoping not to tear the thinning metal, or else the project would be lost.

Tiny beads of granulation individually placed by a trembling hand with no modern assistance or convention, just mastery.

Stones primitively set either by carefully cut inlay or by crushing the stone into place.

Bezel set cabochon stones, the idea of faceting a distant invention. Instead, the mineral is half drilled and set on a peg to secure the stone within its gilded casing. The peg not even hidden as it is today with pearls. It shows through the middle of the translucent stones, taking the viewer away from the color of the gem and back to the reality that this was the technique of the time.

Bloodstone made an appearance as expected considering it's mythos of being the rock at the base of the Crucifixion Cross, speckled with Christ's blood.

Imitating the floor plan of a basilica, you are carried down these first rooms, like aisles, to where the exhibition really opens up dumping you into two larger more open rooms.  Before the grand reveal, you are corralled and crowded in a tiny area where visitors attempted to see the Reliquary Cross and the duo of leather jackets paying homage by Versace and Christian Lacroix. Faces pressed to glass.

In the same claustrophobic area, Chanel's cross woven vest loomed over early Christian artifacts, once used as tools for prayer, now fashion ornamentation. This point driven further home by the garish display of Chanel cross bangles, massively not humble, contrasting it's calmer predecessors. The juxtaposition of 2d geometric byzantine art to the garish bejeweled Chanel.

Also produced by Chanel, we have the  18kt rock crystal crosses sharing a case with an authentic Byzantine cross necklace. The crystal was believe to be representative of the resurrected Christ and a metaphor for the "river of life."

With a sigh of personal space and drastic temperature change, you enter the cool open gallery representing the width breadth of a domed basilica.

Inside you were met with throngs of people, foreign and domestic, to see famous fashion houses re-tell the story of religious vestment.  A cacophony of mixed tongues whispered in awe of the cornucopia of art and design sprawled throughout the room. An outfit design conversing with the painting that gave it muse. Watching the merriment of old christian foundation intertwine and give life to the modern reinterpretation.

I spent the better part of my afternoon there and it still didn't feel like enough.  It was absolutely remarkable how the seamlessly incorporated the permanent collection meshed with the borrowed couture bringing together history nerds and fashion enthusiasts to celebrate one theme.  The Met set the bar very high, especially considering it was the most visited exhibit in it's history, clocking in at just over 1.5 million visitors.

Gold Rush

There were several gold rushes throughout history which drew droves of eager prospectors from all over to an area pregnant with the promise of wealth and prosperity to those lucky enough to find the golden nuggets nestled waiting within the earth's crust.

This image sprang to mind while reading that an Australian man recently uncovered a large amount of gold in the northern goldfields of western Australia worth up to $110,000.  I really hadn't realized that the dream of striking gold was still alive for some.  Then I really thought about it, where does gold even come from?

Recently discovered "Duckfoot"

For years I've written on the history of gemstones and jewelry and why they are so preciously expensive, but why is gold precious?

Gold is an element and lives on the periodic table as a transitional element with the atomic number of 79.  It is considered to be one of the least reactive chemical elements and is the most noble of all the noble metals, making it the most resistant to corrosion.

Gold is considered very rare since it is believed there is only a finite amount in the solar system that was present as dust the day it formed. So whatever we have on earth is what we get, it does not have a recipe to form like a gemstone does. It is an element created on a celestial level and cannot be reproduced.  Gold ore is found in solid form usually as a nugget, granular, or in veins, but also exists as flakes and dust.  Gold does not have a habit formation like a gemstone does further proving it is the most malleable of all the metals.  When found during mining, what is being found is gold that is by chance clumped together in a mine-able form, and sometimes this gold is naturally alloyed with other elements and is not pure. To get pure gold, it must be refined to extract impurities and other metals.

  

Gold in it's purest form is very soft and to be used for jewelry needs to be alloyed with another metal for strength and sometimes color.

The most familiar karats of gold are:

10K or .417 meaning 41.7% pure gold alloyed with other metals like silver, copper, zinc, and/or nickel.

14K or .585 meaning 58.5% pure gold alloyed with other metals.

18K or .750 meaning 75% pure gold alloyed with other metals.

24K  or 999.9 is considered fine gold at 99.95% pure gold.

10k is much harder and more durable than 18k or 24k but not as rich in color is the main difference between these karats besides gold content and price.

For example I chose 18k for my engagement ring because it's rich color to matched my yellow center, and I know I'd be gentle with my ring knowing that it will be more susceptible to scratches and nicks.  For someone hard on their jewelry I always recommend 10k or 14k.

Ladies Night Art Crawl

Fall is my favorite time of year for several reason;, scarves, foliage, spiced cider, but most of all craft fairs.

My pumpkin spice fiance and I decided to enjoy the newly crisp fall air by moseying through the Ladies Night Art Crawl.  The event consisted of a string of predominantly female owned studio spaces opening their doors to the public to come look, touch, and buy made in Philly art.

Scrawled below is the map distributed by the vendors, the starting point being The Common Room , a creative space to curate woman created art.

There I came across two new artists to follow.  The first being Sadie Francis of Only in the Forest.  Francis has worked in the environmental field for 15 years, in doing so she carried her hobby over to shareable wearable art.  The flowers she encases in resin are found during long daily walks through Philadelphia’s expansive park system. I’ve seen this type of jewelry before, so what really makes these pieces poignant is knowing they’re local and made by someone who deeply cares about sustaining nature.  They’re not just flowers, they’re flowers from our community.

The second artist I came across was MEO-C.28  who created an exciting take on the necklace bib. She paints exaggerated baubles onto re-purposed fabric to create the look of a bib without the heft of it.  Light weight and handcrafted, these works give new life to a tired trend.

Last but not least is always a favorite of mine, Forge and Finish.  A trio of Temple ladies working together to handcraft jeweled treasures.  My current favorite collection is Talo, jeweled with a tasty bluish green tourmaline.  Forge and Finish does an excellent job of echoing shape between collections allowing a wearer to mix and match between collections. Each piece is a work of art with a slight edge that sets it aside from it’s peers. Very wearable while still making a statement.