Been Busy

I have a feeling no one is reading this, so I'll write for sanity's sake. Lol.

So anyway, I've been very busy working on production pieces, as well as planning out my Chasing and Repousse assignment.


Production:
For the production assignment, I'm making about 13 pieces. 10 of which are Steampunk pendants, with custom clasps. 3 of the pieces are Steampunk ear rings. Here's a picture of those ear rings:








Chasing and Repousse:
For the chasing and repousse assignment, I was originally going to make a monicle. However, some recent literature that I have read changed my mind a bit. I am going to make a Memento Mori Candleholder. Memento Mori is a concept that dates back through all of human history, but picked up in importance in classical cultures, especially Rome (thus, the Latin wording). Memento Mori means "remember that you must die." It was a concept utilized by Romans to keep generals and other high-ranking officials modest. When a general accomplished something great, parades were done in their honor. However, the general would be followed by one or two servants that would say things like "Memento Mori," meaning "remember that you must die," as well as "Respice post te! Hominem te memento!" meaning "Look behind you! Remember that you are but a man!" Another common saying was "Sic transit gloria mundi" meaning "Thus passes the glory of the world." These sayings were uttered to keep the general modest and grounded to the fact that though he was celebrated in life today, tomorrow he will likely die in battle.

The concept of the Memento Mori was later adopted in Medieval Europe by the humble Christians. Tokens, often in the shapes of skulls, hourglasses, or bats, were carried to always remind the people of the impending end. The Grim Reaper is the most famous Memento Mori, in fact. The Christian adoption of Memento Mori lead to the celebration of Ash Wednesday, in which ashes are placed on the heads of worshippers. The common utterance is "ashes to ashes, dust to dust" meaning "from ashes, return ashes, from dust, return dust." We are born of the earth, and will return to it.




What I plan to do for my piece is a Memento Mori spanning centuries of humanity's fear of death. The piece will be a contemporary candleholder which serves the purpose of stacking candles (image below). This is a ritual done to show the passage of time, and the nearing of death. It will depict a somewhat Medieval style, showing the more Medieval interpretation of spiritual and religious devotion to death. The images around the candleholder will depict Ragnorok, which is the enevitable death of the Norse gods where Odin, Heimdall, Loki, Thor, and Freyr are all killed.


I figure, we're spanning about a thousand years there. The piece is being made now, using styles and concepts from 500 years ago, depicting a myth older that 1000 years ago.



Below are some pictures.


This is a stacked candle that I did when I was a teenager. It is a little over 2 feet tall, and contains over 100 candles. It took a little over a year to make.




This is a sketch of the base of the Memento Mori. It will have a domed top for the candle to rest. The front of the box will have an hour glass, and the two sides will have 2 battles of Ragnorok on each. Fenrir vs Odin, Freyr vs Surtr, Thor vs Jorgmundr, and Loki vs Heimdall.


It will be VERY basic, based on time. The back of the box will be blank for easy wall placement. It will be about 4 inches wide and 4 inches tall. Possibly smaller.




Sources:


Belanger, Michelle. Walking the Twilight Path: A Gothic Book of the

Dead. Llewellyn Publications, 2008. Print.

Cotterell, Arthur. Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology. JG Press,

2008. Print.

Keenan, Sheila. Gods, Goddesses, and Monsters: An Encyclopedia

of World Mythology. Scholastic, 2000. Print.

Wikipedia


See you space cowboy......