Emily Bhargava

Glass, porcelain, found objects, 1″x1″

Sometimes the most beautiful things are the ones that are made through struggle.  Their irregularity is striking, their story is told through their texture.  This pendant includes examples of “perfected” beauty that has been valued by American culture for hundreds of years- a gold design on a piece of porcelain from a plate that was treasured by an American family connected to the Daughters of the American Revolution, and glass that shimmers like diamonds.  Next to these is a very different type of beauty- rough glass beads that were painstakingly ground up from recycled bottles, packed into clay molds and fired in earthen kilns made from termite mounds in Ghana. Both types of beauty tell layered stories of wealth, patience and craftsmanship.  I think there’s something healthy about recognizing beauty of all kinds.

$45

Glass and ceramic beads, found objects  1″x1″

Every day my 3 year-old tests my ability to stay calm.   His tantrums have been monumental for the last few months, and each time he gest worked up I take a deep breath, try to focus on something near me in the room, and do my best to continue with whatever I was trying to do.  It’s not easy.  This pendant has a calm center, with shining ripples of beads moving outward. The calm is not simple, but the repeating patterns of the beads moving outward have a rhythm to them that can help me focus and relax.  Placing them is calming, and looking at them is calming too.

(sold)

Watch parts, found objects, 1″x2″

Sometimes it’s healthy. A friend told me that people who are late have more fun.  I’ve never been late in my life, but it’s time to try to relax a bit and at least not be early all the time. I think I might discover a few extra minutes for fun. This pendant is made from antique watch parts, disassembled and sprawled across a black background.

Ceramic and glass, 1″ diameter

My days are brighter when I feel connected to the people around me.  Some of my social circles are small- the people I call on when I have a question or need a boost.  But other circles are wider- the people I recognize on the train and wave to, the people whose names I can’t remember but whose faces I know. They all provide a sense of security and familiarity.  These blue circles and the red and orange lines connecting them are playful, like the friendly waves between old friends who just barely remember each other.

(sold)

Glass, stone, wood          1″ diameter

I cry on the way to work almost every time I turn on the news.  War. Rape. Corruption.  Despite the darkness that I feel when I hear about what’s happening in the world, I am able to find some optimism to bring to the slow, hard work of community building and public health.  In the center of this pendant are dark stone and blackened wood.  They’re charred and broken.  Moving out in a slow spiral, the colors of the pieces of glass get lighter and brighter until they reach a warm, rosy pink- warm enough to function again.

(sold)

In the face of daily challenges to the health of the people in my community and in the world, I’ve decided to explore 52 aspects of health by creating a mosaic pendant each week over the course of a year. I’ll do my best to focus on the positive and search for the solutions rather than feeling bound up by the intricacy and the depth of the threats to health.  The pendants will be wearable art. They will be social commentary.  They will be a form of health promotion.