Bio-Jewellery
by Eloiza Montaña
Preserved Leaf | The Fallen Leaf | Nueva Zelanda
The Fallen Leaf
For my part it's not very original, it's even quite arrogant, to want to preserve indefinitely the leaves of the forest. Nature offers up its beauty in portions and by the seasons, and although I attempt to defy time, I have only ever been able to capture a mere fragment of its great beauty, that which I share today.
By Eloiza Montaña
the fallen leaf joyería con hojas preservadas
Pōhutukawa
Kauri
Artist Statement
When I first arrived in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2017, in order to feel less disorientated, I spent my time wandering around familiarizing myself with my local environment. In other places I had travelled, I had done so by learning the street names and getting to know the different neighborhoods, but here in Aotearoa this wasn’t enough. Here I found I had to connect directly with nature. In order to get to know the place, I felt I had to get to know the bush, to learn about all the different majestic trees and useful plants that surrounded me, and in this way I began to orientate myself in this new land.
One cannot find themselves below ‘The Long White Cloud’ without knowing at least the noble Kauri, the faithful Harakeke or the boastful Pohutukawa. I initially thought of this place as ‘the land of a thousand and one greens’, because from a far the trees paint themselves as a patchwork of different greens, but after entering the forest, and under closer inspection, I discovered that the New Zealand bush guards a unique beauty wrapped up in thousands of different colours. Through this discovery the magic began. I fell in love with the native forest and it is through ‘The Fallen Leaf’ that I thank and revere it..
The fallen leaf is a personal cause, it is the need to share the beauty that I observe. It is collecting what has fallen in order for it to be admired once again, it is the raw material to create what I want. I firmly hold the hope that the day will come when all humanity will be in love with the forest as they are with their parents or children, with a beautiful man or a beautiful woman; and then and only then will people stop walking in the forest and start walking with it. I am certain that when this happens we will have more trees in the cities and less plastic in the bush.
Walk with the forest
Walk with the forest: A collection of earrings made with leaves collected mainly in Waitakere Ranges and Hauraki (Coromandel), New Zealand. It can take several months before I find a pair of leaves that work together, a true match may never occur but there is always hope. From start to finish it generally takes between 2 and 3 months to complete a piece. They are preserved with a mixture of techniques. This process delays their decay significantly but admittedly cannot stop it forever. Although they will slowly undergo a change, if they are cared for and maintained correctly, it will be many years before they lose their current form and beauty. ´ Walk with the forest´ is a love story, an invitation to walk together..
By Eloiza Montaña
