Oreichalkos

Pareidolia

Rooted in ancient creation myths where humans and gods were shaped from clay, Pareidolia gently blurs the boundaries between the human, the divine, and the material world, transforming metal into something at once archaic and strikingly contemporary. Sometimes, as the artist says, just two marks are enough for a face to appear.

Orichalcum-

rings cast in a yellow bronze of copper, tin, zinc and aluminium.

Orichalcum (oreikhalkos, “mountain ore” in Greek) is the Greek name for a “fiery shimmering metal”. According to Plato, the inhabitants of Atlantis valued it most after gold.

Large rings with heads resembling stones – and heads! Many ancient rings have a stone carved with a face.

Prometheus was seen as the benefactor and protector of mankind. He brought fire from the heavens for mankind and Zeus punished him by chaining him to the Caucasus Mountains. Every day an eagle would come to eat his liver, which would grow back again and again.
It was Hercules who killed the bird and broke Prometheus’ chains. In return, Zeus made Prometheus wear a ring with a stone from the rock. Thus Prometheus was still forged.

Rings, stones, heads – are they lesser gods who accompany (guard/supervise) those who wear the rings, or is it even Zeus himself?