© Rita Draper Frazão

Inner Tour is a blog about People, Arts and Traveling by Rita Draper Frazão.
If you want to use my work, presented here, please send me a message.

2.14.2023

The gift of love

 



On this Valentine's day, I present you A Dádiva (The Gift).

A Dádiva (The Gift) was commissioned by a dear couple of mine, for their Catholic wedding. I was invited to create an object to carry their wedding rings to the altar. And also to carry A Dádiva and their wedding rings in the religious celebration. An absolute first for me. Follow me and get to know all about it!


How to subvert a briefing


The first briefing was to do a painted plate with their names and the date of the wedding. 
Realizing the importance that day may have in one's life, I listened but I also knew, right away, that I wanted to do more than that. I just didn't know yet how to turn that idea upside down without forgetting its function. 
My restless soul and my designer education surfaced and I was determined not to take my mind off it until I'd find a solution to this. 
For a couple of days I was thinking about it in the shower, cooking, eating, sleeping... 
And, literally, one day I woke up and I had a vision of this piece. I knew I was on to something.

I have never made a sculpture like this before. So I had to study and make several trials until I reached what you can see. I believe learning and evolving may come from stepping out of your comfort zone and taking risks. I was down for it and they trusted me. What else could I ask?




The great symbolism of hands


This piece is a sculpture I made from my hands, one of my main tools in my work and also the part of the body we use to gesture while communicating with each other.


Not just in art's history, but in other areas such as linguistics, advertising, theater, the military, religions, psychology, and sociology, the meaning of certain hand positions is vast. This subject alone could provide material for a PhD thesis!


Cupped hands can receive, be used to drink water, protect the eyes, and they can give. I wanted both hands to be present, respecting the number of love and marriage: two.


Shells and particularly Scallops, are the symbol of baptism in Christianity. 
Having in mind those traditional silver shells often used at Christian baptisms, and sometimes at weddings as well, the cupped shape of these hands is a reinterpretation of that and alludes also to the concept of protection.

Giving hands as the union of two souls

This piece also refers to the idea of the union of two hands, of two wedding rings in this piece, of two souls in life, as a gift.


 Perspective lies in the eyes of the beholder*


A Dádiva (The Gift) can be viewed and placed in various positions, completely changing the way it's read.

Top view of A Dádiva (The gift)


Right lateral view of A Dádiva (The gift)

Bottom view of A Dádiva (The gift)

 Whoever positions it, chooses. And this choice will change the result, making the chooser an active part of this sculpture.

(inspired by Kant's quote: Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder)


The color code


Initially I had thought of the piece all in white, symbolizing a blank page, the beginning and also one of the colors associated with Catholic marriage.

Number 3

But then something curious happened: when I finished this piece, I looked at its base (near the area of the wrists), and I saw the shape of the number 3 slightly suggested.

I thought it was a coincidence, and I thought that, yes, love can start with two, but then, regardless of having kids or not, a new life together emerges - a third element that takes me back to the perfection of the equilateral triangle and the holy trinity.

Therefore, I felt like highlighting this part of the piece, as if its interior were suddenly golden (the most divine color) and its outline were white (the purest color), ethereal, luminous and light reflective (hence the glossy coating which also provides a greater protection).

The shades of gold

Thinking of Pantones and inks, there are many shades of gold: old gold (more greenish), yellow gold, pink gold, etc. The shade of gold that I chose here is, on purpose, more orangey.

According to some experts in colors' history, in ancient Greece, Dionysus' clothes - who was, among other things, the God of fertility and the pleasures of life - were orange. This could explain why the orange tree has been associated with fertility since ancient times and also why many brides wear orange flowers in their wreath. 
In Asia it's the color of transformation and fertility. In Buddhism and Hinduism, orange is the most sacred color and symbolizes the purifying power of fire.
Being an energetic color, orange combines light and warmth.

Gold is one of the most valuable metals on planet earth and has always been linked to wealth. Real gold never oxidizes. In addition to its material value, this is also why wedding rings are traditionally made in this metal. It relates to eternity.

In Ancient Egypt, the color code was strict and artists were only allowed to use gold in the representation of the Pharaohs. Among Kings, Saints, high dignitaries or champions this is, until nowadays, the color that rewards excellence.

Therefore, the choice of not using a pure orange but a golden hue aims to bring greater distinction and a sense of importance to this work.

In color theory and in the spiritual world, the combination of all the shades I have chosen here symbolize plenitude and enlightenment. In this day to celebrate love, that's what I wish for this couple and for you!


Solid Fragile


A Dádiva (The Gift) has a solid weight (around 1.5 kgs / 3,307 lb) and at the same time, since it was made out of plaster it can, also, be fragile. Somehow a metaphor for marriage, with its need for daily maintenance and desirable consistency.

Bearing in mind the challenging contexts that a marriage and a love relationship may imply, another purpose of this piece was to remind the importance of a couple giving their best, to each other, without expecting anything in return.


My greatest gift


The wedding rings in the photos are my parent's: the persons that gave me life, my greatest gift.

The meaningful wedding bands.

I certainly tried to give the best of me is in this work. May the energy in A Dádiva (The gift) inspire you all. Ultimately, it all comes down to that special feeling we all crave for. 

As in the song, All you need is love

Happy Valentine's day!

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