Avesinformis Parure by Madeli Viljoen

Statement: My contemporary cabinet of curiosities was born out of the nostalgia for my home country South Africa’s diminishing natural wildlife. The fragmented memories of observing them as a child in the rural landscape, inspired the symbolic metamorphosis of collected animal bones and remnants of skin, transformed into abject specimens. Aiming to preserve the delicate details and sense of wonder I encountered upon finding these remnants in nature, I portray them as cherished artefacts. Through a fusion of bio-morphic abstracted forms in the glass with replicated organic remnants in metal, I seek to create a form of visual fiction that delivers a moment of introspection, attraction and repulsion.  There is a strong symbiosis between the artificial and the natural, representing human interference with nature. The jewellery depicts curious specimens of exaggerated mutations, envisaging what could happen to fauna in the future if humans continue with practices that pollute and alter the environment.