“TAMATA” is an artistic collaboration between °'HRIAM x Melissanthi Spei exploring the folk art of votive offerings through the inquisitive spectrum of symbols transformed into jewellery pieces. Tamata (τάματα), are usually made of small metal plaques of bronze, copper, or silver, embossed with an image indicating the subject of prayer, for which the plaque is offered. In this case, tamata, correspond to a commentary outcome upon the multilateral construction of the artists’ home country's cultural heritage. Without any religious connotation, the underlying intention of this project is to highlight the cultural melange of Greece’s inspirational storytelling of exchange of symbols and customs across the Eastern European, Mediterranean, and the Middle East, leading to precious semantics like these, still cherished nowadays. The depicted charms, represent the values of 1.prosperity & life (the pomegranate), 2.abundance & solidarity (the nipple), 3.health & protection (the eye), 4.love & care (the burning heart), 5.safety & community (the key). The spiral chain links are based upon the black prayer rope, komboskini (κομποσκοίνι); each chain link, is a rosary of its own, carrying one or no particular prayer, open to individual interpretation.

by Méri Charitonidi