[CATALOG] OAAW Paracosm

BEJEWELLED ART : A BALANCING ACT
By: ROBERT JOBSON, Royal Biographer of the British Monarchy
To create art that immerses the soul has always been my goal,” says Philippine-based artist and
jeweller Ivan Co. “We are currently at war with distractions and I want my art to help people
relearn how to focus. This intention and its proper execution, I believe, brings art to a higher
plane.” These are bejewelled works of wonder, made of hand-wrought precious metals and
semiprecious stones, which swing to their own beat. With scientific precision – using
pendulums, axles and intricate balancing points – each piece is a moving sculpture that rocks
and swivels to mesmerising effect.
On view at The Conrad Manila as part of its Art and Wine series is Ivan Co’s “Paracosm.”
Paracosm is a term used to describe a complex and richly detailed imaginary world created
over the span of a number of years. These latest works gives us a peek into the paracosmic
artist’s belief that all of human creation and concepts has been born in part from the depths of
human imagination, moulded into being through creativity and ingenuity. Imagination is Co’s
most powerful and influential aspect of consciousness. Through his swivelling pieces, we see
that they’re created from the artist’s innate calling to think, explore and create outside the
limits of what his eyes can see. He has created and forged complex worlds in intricate detail
where one can find moments of solace and respite from reality.
Take Ivan’s Fenestra, a wall-hanging sculpture composed of concentric shapes with pendulums
that oscillate at different speeds to draw the audience in a different world. Intended to be a
gateway to an unknown world that only the mind can create, it invites its audience to free the
mind from its limits and peer into its most creative aspects. Then there is Orbis, a spherical
sculpture that features a series of concentric wheels that rotate at different speeds, to
appealingly disorientating effect. These are ornate, ingenious, mobile creations, involving both
art and craftsmanship; natural gems are used as weights, their pendulum action deeply
engrossing. “In a sense, they are collaborations with nature, too,” Co explains, as the effect of
gravity is key in their making and operation. “Every piece is one of a kind. Whether sapphire, or
tourmaline, I weigh each gem to create the perfect balance for a certain movement,” he says.
Having a stress-relieving quality, Co’s sculptures reflect the pushes and pulls and tensions of
everyday life, their elegant movement has a calming and hypnotic effect on the viewer. Energy
fields are balanced and audiences are drawn in by their trance-like qualities and exquisite
workmanship. “I want my pieces to provide an escape, as they do for me,” he says. “I stay with
a piece for an hour; it helps open the mind. I find this in my work: sometimes my hands just
move of their own accord when I am creating.”
In today’s uncertain times, the demand for Co’s work has continued to rise as he enjoys success
in a global scale. Take his Rotundum series, each with moving sceptres that flows elegantly,
creating a paradigm of serene mobility that is undisturbed by global strife or mental stress. To
move rhythmically with the tempo and melody of life is in itself a balancing act. And the artist
reminds us of that majestically through his distinct bejewelled art.