Domingues, P., 2017.

Many&Deliberated

Patrícia Domingues, Portugal
'Many&Deliberated', reconstructed lapis lazuli, 6 x 6 x 3 cm. 2016
A piece of jewellery made from a block of lapis lazuli, broken and fragmented to achieve a play of cavity, texture and structure and uncover a hidden inner landscape through intentional, controlled fracturing.

Reconstructed Lapis-Lazuli, Steel
60 × 60 × 35 mm
2017



I have been investigating different classes of materials: natural stone and different kinds of artificial, synthetic and reconstructed materials, such as cast stone. These materials are often a combination of resin with stone, mineral or metal powder. They are hybrids, presenting characteristics from both the natural and industrial environments. The differences in origin and quality between natural and artificial stones have been an inspiration in my work; a natural stone is always a unique element in the sense that in nature no two are the same and once a stone is cut, this action is irreversible, whereas the reconstructed and artificial material is a massive, industrial block. In the latter, the idea of uniqueness is lost, since no matter where the material is cut, the internal result will always be the same. It functions as a blank sheet of paper, devoid of personality, where I can reinvent and reconstruct the observations I have made in the natural world.
As I generate fractures in this industrial material, unique new features are created, giving rise to a new sense of individuality. With a chisel and a hammer, I specifically concentrate on fragmenting and then reconstructing a piece of reconstructed material. It's a conscious tautological gesture to reconstruct what has already been fragmented and reconstructed by mining and industrial processes. In this way, I mimic the imaginary relationship between the movements, patterns and rhythms found in my surroundings. On a small, controlled scale, blocks of artificial nature are broken down and reunited, with the idea of recreating an image of a landscape. I like to think the pieces of jewellery form a link between the immense and the detailed, and present a way to bring a grand-scale aspect of natural and industrial environments into the intimate realm of the human body.

https://hero-magazine.com/article/87087/why-loewes-craft-prize-is-so-important-for-the-future-of-art

https://theroom.loewe.com/en/artists/patricia-domingues/