I Gioielli di Madre Natura
I Gioielli di Madre Natura - Mother Nature’s Jewelry
I Gioielli di Madre Natura
Last week I participated in the land art project “Acqua, Pietra, Radici” (Water, Stone, Roots) organized by Casa Pachamama. It was an artist residency on the Tusciano River and artists were asked to create works that use natural materials to be installed in and along the river so long as the work does not disturb the natural ecology of the environment. Some artists used only elements found along the river area, while others brought in some natural materials.
The residency in Olevano sul Tusciano was from Thursday, July 30th until Sunday, August 2nd, 2026. It featured around 13 artists, mostly from Italy, who created works that can be seen by visitors who go to the river for a walk or to spend some time cooling off in the spring-fed waters during the hot summer months while immersed in nature and completely disconnected from modern society (no cellular phone signal could reach us there).
Besides the visual artists, there were also musicians at the residency who provided entertainment during our days together and other performance artists at Casa Pachamama for events on Friday and Saturday nights.
Gianni and Asami played soft, soothing music that enhanced the environment throughout the weekend
I participated with my creative friend, Ania “Sobie” Sobieszczyk (Ania’s Nature Art), from Poland. Thanks to her, she found out about this project at the last minute and submitted our application to participate. The previous land art event we participated in was located in Paestum 5 years ago at Lega Ambiente.
with Ania and her project “Il Mandala” below in the riverbed
As soon as we were accepted we decided to do a scouting trip the week before the event started so that we could get an idea of what the environment was like and we could think about what works we wanted to create. Not far from where we live, we packed a lunch and went for a walk along the river to see the area and later to visit Casa Pachamama where we would stay in the camping area. I took several photos along the river thinking about potential installation sites.
on our way to Casa Pachamama
At first I thought about doing some installation between some of the larger rocks that are in the river, such as building a bridge from wood collected in the area. However, it seems that there was this one tree which caught my attention because as I later reviewed my photos I noticed I had photographed it two different times during our walk. She spoke to me. This tree wanted jewelry. I wasn’t going to argue with Mother Nature. I let her guide me.
As a metalsmith I usually work in metal, but this material when left in nature is not ideal as it doesn’t decompose easily or safely, so I used jute and cotton cord as the main support of my work, I Gioielli di Madre Natura (Mother Nature’s Jewelry), to represent the metal wire I would normally use to create jewelry. With the cord, I tied macramé knots to create the shapes to form a cuff “bracelet” in jute and a chain “necklace” in cotton. A spiral pattern I created in my knotting is meant to represent the flow of the water from the river below.
“necklace” in 3mm cotton cord (before the bead was added above)
Additionally, I collected stones from the river to represent both “precious” stones, like large diamonds in “prong” and “tension” settings and in one part of the work a line of smaller stones set along an opening of the tree’s branch that could be interpreted as a “channel” setting, but it was actually a reference to a jewelry technique called “granulation”. This technique uses little balls or grains of metal (usually gold but can also be done in silver) that are fused to jewelry in decorative patterns without using solder.
a “precious” stone in a natural “prong” setting of the tree
This granulation of the river stones unites the work to the “roots” of this land that was once occupied by the Etruscans, a culture that pre-dates the Romans. Not a lot is known about the Etruscans, but they were masters of the granulation technique in their jewelry. I learned about this during my studies and have been quite fascinated with it ever since. I have been thinking that I should use more of it in my jewelry designs.
close up of the “granulation” made of river stones collected from the water below
The other items used in my work include a wooden bead that I made by cutting a stick found nearby and then carved my signature which I added to the necklace. Found roots, a sprig of ivy growing nearby, and another interesting stone were all added to the more abstract design of the bracelet.
a wooden bead with my carved signature hangs on a cord above the knotted necklace creating a double necklace in the tree
The bracelet is probably my main feature of the whole project as it was bigger and took up the majority of my time to construct. I had a l plan of how I wanted to design the bracelet - knotted rows forming a solid cuff shape. Later realizing that would take much more time and material, so I loosened up my plan a bit and changed to a net structure. I thought about adding some stones inside the net area, but even that took a detour. I let the work and flow of the river below the tree speak to me. In the end, this work took on a more organic form as Mother Nature takes over. If left alone, she always does. What she creates is beautiful and often unexpected.
“bracelet” of knotted jute, sticks, roots, ivy, and a stone
During this residency experience I made some great contacts with fellow artists, renewed my spirit, and made a deeper contact with nature, allowing the natural flow of energy to lead me through the design process. Although I faced some setbacks during the weekend (lack of sleep and a stomach upset) that slowed me down initially, I managed to complete my project by Sunday afternoon, even if a thunderstorm that rolled in had me quickly finish up the last detail a bit differently than I would have if I had another 30 minutes to make it more secure and take some additional final pictures.
Reflecting on all of this now, the resilience of Mother Nature, the twists and turns of the river, and going with the flow, I’m reminded about my own life - the setbacks, detours, and the persistence to keep moving forward. My life has not turned out as I expected nor have I achieved everything as desired, but it has unfolded beautifully in so many ways. I know there is still so much to experience and I look forward to participating in more experiences like this where I can continue to develop my artistic expression and connect with other creatives sharing their culture and visions.
Photo credits - in addition to my own photos, several were shared by the organizer’s photographer, Marzia Rosalia.
Fun fact: Did you know that in Italian language the word for arm is “braccio”? This word is related to and is where “bracelet” comes from (actually from the French version and both are related to the Latin word for arm - bracchium). However, additionally interesting, the word branch is translated as “ramo” for a tree, but also “braccio”. So a bracelet for a tree makes perfect sense. ;)
With a renewed creative focus after last summer’s big detour, I have been updating the website and am working on some additional projects that have been quietly been developing for quite some time. If you are interested to learn more about them as soon as they are announced, sign up for my newsletter on the homepage.