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  • Artist's limited edition prints

Jackson, Mel, 2016, Art or design object, Artist's limited edition prints

Abstract or Description:

In these prints commissioned by Arts Catalyst Jackson extends the relationship between art and science, to the nexus of art and science and magic. Cerro Rico (The Rich Mountain) and El Tio (The Uncle) bring together a hand colored etching of the the most abundant silver mine in history, the Cerro de Potosi, with a photograph of an El Tio, an effigy of the Lord of the Underworld. El Tio is built by miners who make offerings of coca leaves, streamers and alcohol to attract apopotraic protection against the treacherous conditions, and abundance. The silver molecule embossed and block leafed with silver leaf into the surface of the prints is a scientific model and a sigil to attract wealth.

The Cerro Rico (also called Cerro de Potosí) is a mountain in the Andes near the Bolivian city of Potosí. It has been mined since the sixteenth century and was famous for providing vast quantities of silver for Spain during the period of the New World Spanish Empire, and was home to the colonial Royal Mint, la Casa de la Moneda, the first mint in the Americas.The mountain, which is popularly conceived of as being ‘made’ of silver ore, caused the city of Potosí to become one of the largest cities in the New World. It gave issue to the first global currency, and the coin upon which the original United States dollar was based. The real de a ocho, also known as the Spanish dollar, the eight-real coin, or the piece of eight (Spanish peso de ocho), is a silver coin, of approximately 38 mm diameter, worth eight reales, that was minted in the Spanish Empire from 1598. One theory holds that the mintmark of Potosí (the letters “PTSI” superimposed on one another) is the origin of the dollar sign, or perhaps the shorthand for the peso ps‘.

Subjects: Creative Arts and Design > W100 Fine Art
School or Centre: School of Arts & Humanities
Copyright Holders: Melanie Jackson
Funders: Arts Council England
Date Deposited: 26 Jun 2018 10:10
Last Modified: 09 Nov 2018 15:49
URI: https://researchonline.rca.ac.uk/id/eprint/3504
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