We have explored the theme of water in relation to architecture, fashion, and art, yet to navigate and find refuge from water, we require a vessel.
Artist Juliette Zelime, known as Jadez, envisions a woven one in her installation at the Seychelles Pavilion at the 60th International Art Exhibition in Venice. Situated within the Arsenale (with a second section of the pavilion at Palazzo Mora), the space includes works by three additional Seychellois artists: Jude Ally, Ryan Chety, and Danielle Freakley.
Gathered under the collective title "Pala" - a reference to the mythical and utopian island in Aldous Huxley's 1962 novel Island - the works engage with themes of national, cultural, and social identity. They explore the nuances of nationality and belonging, communication, stereotyping, and the interplay between formal and informal language systems, all while offering a tribute to their homeland and its people.
Jadez, a young artist working across various mediums, from paintings to mixed media installations, has also made her mark in fashion with her brand Kaju Seychelles, which debuted at Seychelles Fashion Week.
The work on display in Venice, "Nesting" (2023-2024), draws inspiration from H.G. Wells' quote: "Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature's inexorable imperative." This idea underpins her exploration of migration, not just as a physical journey, but as a search for freedom, peace of mind, and the promise of better prospects.
The piece features a rug and a hammock woven from human hair, synthetic fibers, and cotton yarns.
Visitors are invited to engage with the work by choosing yarns coded by color to represent different continents. They can cut a thread symbolizing their birthplace and weave it into the hammock, while the more daring ones can also offer a strand of their own hair.
This participatory act constantly transforms the hammock from a static object into an evolving vessel, a symbol of travel through time and space (that also points at an emotional journey), carrying the essence of humanity through the interconnected threads that form a sort of tactile DNA chain.
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