Cisma is a circular sculptural installation composed of cast bronze thorn structures and blown-glass elements, measuring approximately 50 × 200 cm. The work originates from real thorns collected from the limão-cravo tree (Citrus limonia) in the Brazilian landscape. Each thorn is carefully selected, cut, and softened to create a mold, from which a wax model is produced for the lost-wax casting process. The individual bronze components are then cast, welded together, and finished with a patina, reconstructing and enlarging the original organic form. Interspersed among these intricate bronze structures are delicate blown-glass spheres, whose transparency and fragility contrast with the permanence and material presence of the metal.
By transforming natural thorns into bronze through a meticulous process of molding, casting, welding, and patination, Cisma explores the tension between protection and vulnerability. The thorn, a natural mechanism of defense, becomes a metaphor for the structures, both personal and collective, that emerge in response to fragility. The blown-glass elements introduce a sense of delicacy and risk, relying on the surrounding bronze framework for support. Arranged in a circular formation, the installation evokes cycles of growth, resilience, and transformation, while reflecting on the interconnected forces that sustain life.
Through the interplay of strength and fragility, permanence and transience, the work invites contemplation of the delicate balance that exists within human experience and the natural world. The work explores the tension between fragility and protection, transforming natural forms into a psychological and sculptural metaphor for vulnerability, defense, and interdependence. Emerging from an earlier ephemeral composition created during a significant personal moment, the installation reflects on the coexistence of risk and care within both human experience and natural systems. The intertwined metallic thorns generate a sense of visual instability, while the fragile glass elements rely on this structure to remain suspended, evoking the delicate balance that sustains life and the environment. Through this poetic equilibrium, the work invites reflection on humanity’s responsibility toward the complex and sensitive ecosystems it inhabits. https://youtube.com/shorts/cFqJYWEVJR4
