›What gives you strength in difficult situations? Do you have an object, a talisman, that strengthens you?‹ At the end of the workshop with CANPAU in Santanyí, we are surprised to realise how quickly the time flew by. We are happy about the creative energy in the workshop, the wonderful togetherness that flows into our works.
Lies diesen Beitrag in Deutsch im 2go2-Mallorca Blog!
CANPAU – Upcycling Art
I have been experiencing Uwe, alias CANPAU, his art and philosophy intensively since July: in the pop-up art space of our coworking space Rayaworx in Santanyí, he puts his upcycling art in the spotlight. He gives his found objects a chance at a second life. Similar to what neighbour Birgit Toboll does for clothes and shoes in her iconic second-hand shop bi Second Love around the corner.
In CANPAU’s collection, I spot a brass-coloured crab, which now has a retro light in one of its claws. He combined an iron arrow with an old drawer front to create a wall coat rack. A fish bubbles into a light bulb.
He also channels his creativity into handmade bracelets and necklaces. Uwe started doing this to relax after exhausting days working as an educator with young people. For his unique pieces, he mixes elements of discarded jewellery with new items, paying meticulous attention to their origin.
„The bracelets are as individual and special
CANPAU
as the people who wear them.“
What gives you strength?
We sit in a circle surrounded by CANPAU’s wonderful objects and jewellery designs in his current showroom. Uwe brought Peter to the workshop for support and Franka for photos. Some of us already know each other, some of us are just getting to know one another. In any case, we liked each other straight away.
„What gives you strength in difficult situations? Do you have an object, a talisman, that strengthens you?“ After these thought-provoking questions, Peter begins with his own personal story. He talks about his bracelet with a special pendant that gave him strength and confidence. Focussing on this bracelet helped him to get through a new beginning after a difficult time. It became a symbol of his strength.
Objects or talismans can remind us of our inner strength in moments of weakness. That we are strong and capable of overcoming a challenge. For one person, it is the sight of her tattoo that reminds her of the difficult challenges she has already overcome in life. For the other, it’s a bracelet with the word ‚freedom‘.
Nature for me
For me, things that cross my path at certain times are talismans. A chestnut whose smooth, shiny surface pleasantly soothes my hand when I’ve been very tense or at the dentist around the time I found it. Three stackable polished river pebbles from the Isar, which gave me strength for the move into the unknown to Mallorca. Coming from the Alps, they travelled a very long way to the Isar floodplains at Flaucher in Munich, where they were formed.
The one lemon clearly visible on the tree in the garden, half yellow and half green. It helped me to be patient and persevere when I needed exactly that to process the dramatic events surrounding our first weeks on the sunny island.
Es Pontàs off the coast of Santanyí. Each time, the rocky arch presents itself in different colours. The sea splashes, gurgles or sloshes around the stone. For me, it’s a truly powerful place, which is why one of the most beautiful photos of this natural phenomenon can be found in our coworking space.
And then there was this stone lying on the path, directly opposite this place of energy near Es Pontàs between Cala Santanyí and Cala Llombards at the sculpture by Rolf Schaffner. Half-baked into the path, the fist-sized stone caught my eye. At first I walked on, but I had to turn round and go back to remove the stone from the ground.
Once I arrived at the coworking space, I cleaned the crust off the find. I get goosebumps again in the workshop when I talk about, or rather show, what I discovered in the stone.
„Mallorca loves you,“ commented a friend at the time, marvelling at my find and patting me affectionately on the shoulder.
The heart shaped imprint in this stone by the side of the road, between Es Pontàs and Schaffner’s Equilibrio, was an important ‚confirmation‘ for me that I was in the right place. It felt so good after the bumpy start we had on the island.
Energy for a power bracelet
This stone is always close to me. After this introduction to the workshop, I realise that the stone will remain part of today’s creative process. After all, I want it to be a bracelet for a loved one who shall draw positive energy from it.
Uwe introduces us to his perfectly organised material. His treasures feed our ideas for their implementation. We browse through glass beads, rummage in boxes of pendants, compare wooden beads and so on. If we don’t find what we’re looking for, Uwe quickly conjures up another bag of matching beads, spacers or objects to hide the knot.
Spoilt for choice with so many options! Perfect for a workshop where everyone realises a different vision for their personal power bracelet. I’m lucky that my girlfriend’s colour preference makes my decisions easier.
I have someone at the workshop to help me: potter Marion has long known the difference in colour between the two of us from the selection of her colourful glazes at her market stall. She quickly waves me off „That’s your shade of turquoise, Doris“ – and I carry on searching.
A day by the sea
I work two turquoise-coloured turtles into the bracelet, which swim towards a filigree piece of silver. The green-turquoise beads are adorned with a marbled pattern that makes them resemble small earth spheres. Flat, matt silver beads shimmer between them, gently reflecting the light. As a special finishing touch, a sparkling pearl glitters, which Annett handed to me, beaming with joy. Around this sparkling piece, two small beads reminiscent of starfish complete my bracelet design.
What a wonderful experience! I so enjoyed this creative coworking – many thanks to CANPAU / Uwe, Peter, Annett, Claudia, Franka and Marion for their positive energy.
I carefully selected every detail to give the jewellery a maritime touch. Does it remind you of a day by the sea? Can you hear the sound of the sea in combination with my find from the natural coast of Santanyí?
Photos: DoSchu, Santanyí – cover illustration with canva.com / Franka, Campos
