Andreia Gabriela Popescu, 2016, Romania

A little gold

The collection “Walls of Civilization” reinterprets the age-old tale of lost treasure, hidden by the ancient Dacian civilization of Romania in the face of imminent Roman invasion. I proposed an interpretation of the treasure as a value that overcomes the borders of nationality and transcends into the collective memory. I reach the point where we have the same ancestors not by affiliation, but through cultural identification. Treasures buried deep in the ground, in the riverbeds – found, lost, and found Again.

A golden treasure. But more than all the wealth of the nation is the legacy left for its descendants through architecture, knowledge, culture, and history. I used the wall marks of the Dacian citadels, marks from chambers, connecting halls and entrances. Walls bearing the timestamp, unearthed or partially buried, reminding of the mix of dirt and sand, of the fortress and archaeological digs in shades of white, grey and gold metal. I used gold only as a binder between the bricks.

Gold-plated copper, Ø 16,5cm