Only this actual moment is life
Copper, silver, vitreous enamel, stainless steel, bronze, found object
etched, enameled, fabricated, handmade sterling silver chain
2014
 

When you turn the crank on this pendant, an enameled teyer palm blows in the wind, bringing to mind the handmade teyer palm brooms that every household once kept in their homes on the island of St John. It also references the winds of change, which have affected the making of sustainable craft in many communities besides St John in this last half century of rapid technological advancement.

Sustainable craft is the focused work of making functional objects using materials collected locally.  It is very much a way of living in the present, and that is why I have entitled this piece "Only this actual moment is life", wise words by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk and peace activist. This idea carries over to the back with this quote by Rumi:

Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don't claim them. Feel the artistry move through and be silent.

The mechanical teyer palm pendant hangs in an antique clock case, keeping the memory of a vanishing tradition alive while acknowledging its place in the past as it becomes replaced by other ways of doing things--just as the donkey has been replaced as a form of transportation by motor vehicles here. This is depicted in a vitreous enamel sepia image underneath where the pendant hangs on the clock case.

Click on the video above to see the palm tree move in the wind.