The Power of Trust and Connection

Memorial and Reincarnation

Memorial and Reincarnation began organically with an exchange between a Facebook friend and their broken object, which I nonchalantly said I would turn into an art jewelry piece. After evaluating this exchange it evolved into a larger project. I wrote a post on my Timeline asking for broken sentimental objects. The first 15 people to comment “I am in,” would receive a piece of art jewelry with the use of their object. The only stipulation was I can transform the object with my discretion.

I was given objects by national and international Facebook friends. Each of the piece’s form and material was determined by my individual aesthetic and enhanced by personal stories attached to the objects, which were gratefully shared by each of the participants. The objects are given a new life, containing the embedded and potential memories. The transformed object as jewelry becomes a method of connecting to my collaborators, a larger public audience and established art jewelry enthusiasts.

Social media has changed the way humans interact on multiple levels, while many relationships only occur through the screen. The exchange between myself and the other individuals in the project bring an intangible quality into the tangible. There seems to be a culture of hate fostered in the digital social atmosphere, which perpetuates anonymous negativity. I wanted to do something positive with social media, which goes beyond “Face” value (pun intended). The work uses social networking to spread contemporary art jewelry into the world.

Below is the link to my Facebook page which shares my process throughout the project;

https://www.facebook.com/Memorial-Reincarnation-1614485958816854/

You can also view all the images of the work on my website listed below;

http://www.aricverrastro.com/