Arielle and Daryā of DARIUS, released their latest collection several weeks ago, Eye Idols. But it’s never too late to write about it. The more I see these pieces, these figurines, the more obsessed I get with them.
They reminded me of E.T. at first glance but then, when I got to discover more of them and stare at the photos of each piece, taking in all of the details and shapes… I got really drawn into the collection.
But the Eye Idols also come with a story. A history.
Rendered in Fairmined gold and antique Diamond by Darius, the eye idols were archaic motifs, made of stone. These works speak to prehistoric memory within the human animal. Dated ca. 3700–3500 BCE, thousands of Eye Idol statuettes/figurines have been uncovered at the site of the ancient Mesopotamian Eye Temple at Tell Brak in modern-day Syria. These five-thousand-year-old anthropomorphic votive offerings depict figures in a state of divine ecstasy, their wide hypnotic eyes demonstrating attentive devotion to the Gods. The primitive simplicity and purity of their form, deliberate on the part of the ancient artisans who crafted them, allow their transcendence of historical emplacement; becoming images reflected from the deep future. These effigies represent an element of human nature that is universal and intrinsic: one of natural devotion to the living universe, and of attentive presence – I AM. The eye Idols are images that penetrate to the core of our shared humanity, speaking to the essence of sentience, and to the innate awareness of the divine that exists within us all.
Each of the handcrafted pieces is made in 18k fairmined gold and Antique Old Mine Cut Diamonds.
Info via The MET and Darius
Photo’s via The MET – Collector Antiquities