Aconitum-235
By Nic Patrizi
Handmade jewelry and art
From chainmaille to scratchboard, my work is largely influenced by gothic and alternative art and style.
Unpacking the name
Aconitum, also commonly known as monkshood or wolfsbane, has been used throughout history as a deadly poison.
235 refers to uranium-235, a very radioactive isotope used in nuclear plants and weapons including Chernobyl and the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Little Boy.
This name was not chosen to romanticize the death or destruction of either of these materials. Rather it was chosen to acknowledge that materials often used to harm are not inherently evil. How we interact with our environment and use our resources plays a large role in the reputations of these materials and many others. Aconitum is simply a plant and U-235 is simply an isotope. What we do matters.
My aim is to use my materials to create something beautiful and to do so in the most sustainable way that I, as an individual artist, can.