Urania
Urania is a plant of the uranium age. Slightly hallucinogenic, mildly toxic, a beauty of the streets, an urban flower growing out of the asphalt.
For this piece, the template is formed by the dead-nettle, which I again cast using the lost wax technique, capturing even the smallest
details. The body of the plant is composed of two metals, silver and bronze, as a symbol of change and adaptation, and shards of uranium
glass are embedded in the twigs. The flower evokes the lonely wanderer, the last survivor following the end of the world. A hardy plant that
has reshaped itself and adapted to new conditions. Her sharp uranium leaves protect her from danger.
Urania is a symbol of transformation, evolution and resilience. We too experience constant development, transformation and evolution.
How we manage to adapt remains to be seen.
material: bronze, silver, uranium glass, asphalt
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Hanuš Lamr's metal objects are inspired exclusively by nature. With the enthusiasm of an explorer, he brings into focus the delicate shape
of flowers, twigs and other natural objects which, cast in metal, reveal their finest details. The task of the artist is not to succumb to the
temptation to improve upon a natural design, but to be guided by its structure, and, with a sense of respect for its immutable perfection, to
render a coda. Rather than jewelry in the traditional sense of the word, these objects are a kind of sacrament. He immerses fragile
honeycombs, dry leaves, fruits and twigs or swollen chestnut blossoms in wax, then casts them in silver or bronze. The original model burns
away during casting, so each result is unique, without the possibility of replication. Fragile metal artefacts are created, conjoined in a surreal
fusion, sometimes supplemented with glass shards or stones. Hanuš Lamr transforms leftover fragments of authentic natural materials into
relics embodying the age-old, futile desire to immortalize the ephemeral, to touch the untouchable: intactum tangere.
text: Terezia Zemánková
