How Does Magic Happen? ¿Cómo sucede la magia?

Article / SnagMetalsmith Artists

Published: 12.08.2025

Author:: Ana María Jiménez

Edited by:: SNAG Metalsmith

Edited at:: Eugene

Edited on:: 2025

Installation: Concierto Anfibio by Leonel Vásquez.Expanded vocal music, vibratory expressions of the landscape, activation of amphibious experimental lutherie. 2022.Photo by: Leonel VásquezUnique piece.

Leonel Vásquez
Installation: Concierto Anfibio, 2022
Expanded vocal music, vibratory expressions of the landscape, activation of amphibious experimental lutherie
Photo by: Leonel Vásquez
© By the author. Read Klimt02.net Copyright.

Indigenous people from Colombia share with us the idea of “working with thought.” For years, this phrase has swirled around my mind with its possible meanings and the mysteries it holds. Does the body have the power to open thresholds and transmute matter? How and why do some pieces become imbued with thought, power, and strength? What properties make an object that protects us, accompanies us, or gives us strength?

This article is included in the Metalsmith Magazine. Vol 45 No 2. The magazine can be purchased online at SNAG Metalsmith.

Versión en Español - Spanish version

Los pueblos indígenas de Colombia nos comparten la idea de «trabajar con pensamiento». Durante años, esta frase ha rondado mi mente, con sus posibles significados y los misterios que encierra. ¿Tiene el cuerpo el poder de abrir umbrales y transmutar la materia? ¿Cómo y por qué algunas piezas quedan impregnadas de pensamiento, poder y fuerza? ¿Qué propiedades tiene un objeto que nos protege, nos acompaña o nos da fuerza?

Trabajar en plena conciencia—del cuerpo en el espacio, del diálogo silencioso con los materiales, y de la información presente en el aire—permite que las piezas queden cargadas. ¿Cargadas de qué? No sabría ponerle un nombre. De ese «algo» que no podemos definir pero que sabemos que existe. Es una fuerza, un vínculo, una certeza que se siente en la pieza y resuena en el cuerpo.

Esta selección de obras refleja las innumerables horas pasadas en diálogos silenciosos y solitarios entre artistas colombianos y sus materiales. Estas obras nacen a partir de pensamientos cargados de intención, de momentos mágicos que no se nombran, de materiales nobles, y de la tierra que habla de nuestro país: Colombia. Un mensaje sobre el tiempo, la presencia, el cuerpo, el barro, las piedras, los volcanes, la paciencia, el movimiento, y el sonido. De conocimientos ancestrales y rituales que traemos al presente, arraigados en lo que somos—cada uno desde su propia perspectiva.

Ofrendas para recordar lo que alguna vez fuimos y lo que llevamos dentro.

Carlos Alfonso
El interés de Carlos Alfonso por la antropología de la alimentación ha dado lugar a una práctica basada en la colaboración y la hospitalidad. Sus espacios de encuentro fomentan el intercambio de conocimientos y sabiduría dentro de los reinos humanos y no humanos.

Carlos Alfonso. Kitchen of clays, 2023–2024. Pottery; clays; wooden, stone and metal objects; straw. Variable dimensions. Photo: Nico Jacob. Courtesy of Casas Riegner.

Carlos Alfonso. Kitchen of clays (detail view during dinner activation), 2024. Pottery; clays; wooden, stone, and metal objects; straw; and food from the Andes territory
Variable dimensions. Photo: Casas Riegner. Courtesy of Casas Riegner.

Carlos Alfonso. Creadoras del cosmos (side view), 2023 Oil and acrylic on wood assemblage. 45 x 62.3 cm. Photo: Nico Jacob. Courtesy of Casas Riegner.

Felipe García López
Felipe García López reflexiona sobre la gran capacidad de la fragilidad para enseñarnos sobre el cuidado—y cómo revela nuevas formas de relacionarnos con el mundo material, así como la paciencia que se requiere para proteger lo delicado o débil.

Felipe García López. Taxonomía para una caja vacía, 2020. Reconstructed eggshell (inside-out fragments). 1¾ x 2¼ x 1¾ in. Photos by the artist.

Leonel Vásquez
El acto de escuchar puede ser político—incluso puede ser un medio para reconstruir vínculos en contextos de conflicto social y medioambiental. Leonel Vásquez explora el sonido como un medio que moldea la experiencia sensorial, así como una fuerza vibracional que atraviesa espacios.

Leonel Vásquez. Templo del agua—Sumapaz (sound architecture), 2024. 41 rocks from Sumapaz, steel sitar string, steel ring, pulleys, copper ring, an embossed and tuned copper plate, Piezoelectric contact translation system, water container, wooden platform with circular chairs, 4-channel monophonic amplification system (50 watts per channel), Dayton HDN-8 transducers, Radial PZ Active direct box 5.5 x 4 m. Courtesy of Museo Nacional de Colombia, Fragmentos, espacio de arte y memoria. Photo: Juan Velasco

Jorge Barco
La practica de Jorge Barco combina la construcción de instrumentos, los estudios del sonido, la grabación de campo y el conocimiento ancestral. Su dispositivo Magma—una bricolaje hidrófono y micrófono de contacto—registra vibraciones electromagnéticas en diferentes paisajes..

Jorge Barco. Harmonograph (drawing machine), 2021. Wood, aluminum, amplification circuit, stone and metal pendulums, paper, pen. 20 x 110 x 160 cm. Courtesy of AADK, Murcia, Spain. Photo: Selu Herraiz

Jorge Barco: Harmony 1 & Harmony 2 , 2021. Drawings by drawing machine. 21 x 27 cm. Courtesy of Galería La Balsa, Medellín. Photo by the artist.

Linda Margarita Sánchez Méndez
La práctica de Linda Margarita Sánchez Méndez reflexiona sobre la naturaleza del objeto y su capacidad para evocar emociones y recuerdos, utilizando la naturaleza como metáfora para hablar de la relación entre la vida y la muerte.

Linda Margarita Sánchez Méndez. Gestos de Gratitud #10, 2020. Corn husk, porcelain, clay, copper, sterling silver, steel. Variable dimensions. Photo: Magdalena Madörin.

Linda Margarita Sánchez Méndez. Gestos de Gratitud #4, 2020. Corn husk, porcelain, clay, copper, sterling silver, steel. Variable dimensions. Photo: Magdalena Madörin

Tatiana Apráez
En nuestro mundo acelerado, la obra hecha a mano se destaca como un acto ceremonial que requiere tiempo, dedicación y una conexión genuina con uno mismo y con la comunidad. El trabajo de Tatiana Apráez no solamente muestra habilidad técnica sino que también encapsula el alma de la artesana, presentando una profundidad emocional más allá del objeto en sí.

Tatiana Apráez. Urcunina (pendant), 2023. Natural resin from the mopa-mopa bush, natural food pigments, hand-turned puy wood, 925 sterling silver, cotton cord. 9 x 2 cm. Photo: Alberto Moncayo

Tatiana Apráez. Urcunina (brooch), 2023. Natural resin from the mopa-mopa bush, natural food pigments, hand-turned puy wood, 925 sterling silver, cotton cord. 9 x 2.5 cm. Photo: Alberto Moncayo.

Working in full awareness—of the body in space, of the silent dialogue with materials, and of the information present in the air—allows pieces to become charged. Charged with what? I wouldn’t know how to name it. With that “something” we cannot define but know exists. It is a force, a bond, a certainty that is felt in the piece and resonates through the body.

This selection of works reflects countless hours spent in silent and solitary dialogues between Colombian artists and their materials. These works are born from thoughts loaded with intention, from magical moments left unnamed, from noble materials, and from the earth that speaks of our land: Colombia. A message of time, presence, the body, clay, wood, stones, volcanoes, patience, movement, and sound. From ancestral knowledge and rituals that we bring into the present, rooted in who we are today—and each of us from our own perspective.

Offerings to remember who we once were and what we carry within us.

Carlos Alfonso
Carlos Alfonso’s interest in the anthropology of food has led to a practice built on collaboration and hospitality. His spaces of encounter encourage the exchange of knowledge and wisdom within the human and nonhuman realms.

Carlos Alfonso. Kitchen of clays, 2023–2024. Pottery; clays; wooden, stone and metal objects; straw. Variable dimensions. Photo: Nico Jacob. Courtesy of Casas Riegner.

Carlos Alfonso. Kitchen of clays (detail view during dinner activation), 2024. Pottery; clays; wooden, stone, and metal objects; straw; and food from the Andes territory
Variable dimensions. Photo: Casas Riegner. Courtesy of Casas Riegner.

Carlos Alfonso. Creadoras del cosmos (side view), 2023 Oil and acrylic on wood assemblage. 45 x 62.3 cm. Photo: Nico Jacob. Courtesy of Casas Riegner.

Felipe García López
Felipe García López thinks about the powerful ability of fragility to teach us about care—and how it reveals new ways of relating to the material world, as well as the patience required to protect what is delicate or frail.

Felipe García López. Taxonomía para una caja vacía, 2020. Reconstructed eggshell (inside-out fragments). 1¾ x 2¼ x 1¾ in. Photos by the artist.

Leonel Vásquez
The act of listening can be political—can even be a medium to rebuild bonds in contexts of social and environmental conflict. Leonel Vásquez explores sound as both a medium that molds sensory experience and a vibrational force that traverses spaces.

Leonel Vásquez. Templo del agua—Sumapaz (sound architecture), 2024. 41 rocks from Sumapaz, steel sitar string, steel ring, pulleys, copper ring, an embossed and tuned copper plate, Piezoelectric contact translation system, water container, wooden platform with circular chairs, 4-channel monophonic amplification system (50 watts per channel), Dayton HDN-8 transducers, Radial PZ Active direct box 5.5 x 4 m. Courtesy of Museo Nacional de Colombia, Fragmentos, espacio de arte y memoria. Photo: Juan Velasco

Jorge Barco
Jorge Barco’s practice blends instrument building, sound studies, field recording, and ancestral knowledge. His device Magma—a DIY hydrophone and contact microphone—records electromagnetic vibrations in different landscapes.

Jorge Barco: Harmony 1 & Harmony 2 , 2021. Drawings by drawing machine. 21 x 27 cm. Courtesy of Galería La Balsa, Medellín. Photo by the artist.

Linda Margarita Sánchez Méndez
Linda Margarita Sánchez Méndez’s practice reflects on the nature of the object and its ability to evoke emotions and memories, using nature as a metaphor to discuss the relationship between life and death.

Linda Margarita Sánchez Méndez. Gestos de Gratitud #10, 2020. Corn husk, porcelain, clay, copper, sterling silver, steel. Variable dimensions. Photo: Magdalena Madörin.

Linda Margarita Sánchez Méndez. Gestos de Gratitud #4, 2020. Corn husk, porcelain, clay, copper, sterling silver, steel. Variable dimensions. Photo: Magdalena Madörin

Tatiana Apráez
In our fast-paced world, handcrafted work stands out as a ceremonial act that requires time, dedication, and a genuine connection to the self and the community. Tatiana Apráez’s work not only showcases technical skill but also encapsulates the artisan’s soul, carrying emotional depth beyond the object itself.

Tatiana Apráez. Urcunina (pendant), 2023. Natural resin from the mopa-mopa bush, natural food pigments, hand-turned puy wood, 925 sterling silver, cotton cord. 9 x 2 cm. Photo: Alberto Moncayo

Tatiana Apráez. Urcunina (brooch), 2023. Natural resin from the mopa-mopa bush, natural food pigments, hand-turned puy wood, 925 sterling silver, cotton cord. 9 x 2.5 cm. Photo: Alberto Moncayo.

About the author

Ana María Jiménez is a plastic artist, jeweler, and architect. She founded Taller sin Borde, a creative laboratory for moving between the space, the object, and the body. Educated in Fine Arts and Architecture, she has studied jewelry in the United Kingdom, Spain, and Colombia. She researches pre-Hispanic jewelry techniques, combining artisanal practices and historical studies to create sustainable jewelry and sculpture.
Instagram: @tallersinborde