88 - SEVENSEAS
TURBO MARMORATUS
Turbo Marmoratus is a large species of marine gastropod known also as the green turban.These large snails live in tropical reefs in the Indian Ocean, western Pacific, and off Queensland, Australia. They are nocturnal and feed on algae with a shell that grows to a length of 18 cm. The color pattern is green, marbled with white and rich brown, but under the top layer there is a thick layer of pink nacre (mother of pearl), the main reason for commercial fishing and overfishing.
The nacre has been used for centuries as a material for jewelry and decorative objects- used by itself or as an inlay in lacquer or wood. Countries with great artesian traditions of nacre are China, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, India, and Pakistan. The highly esteemed and exotic goods of sea shells, tortoise shell, ivory, ebony as well as other materials reached Europe only after the Age of Discovery. After Vasco de Gama's discovery of Malabar coast in western India, his initial goal was the trade spices destined to Europe but his patrons (particularly Portuguese royalty) became fascinated other exotic treasures including the Turbo Marmoratus shell. The pink nacre artworks exquisitely crafted by Gujarati craftsmen in 17th century were some of the most admired examples of the Indo-Portuguese art, patronized by many amongst European aristocracy.
While on a project as an architect and consultant to World Monuments Fund in Cochin India, I was also enchanted by elegant objects made with pink Turbo Marmoratus nacre, available in Cochin Antique shops. Upon my return to Paris in 2000 I was eager to add the beautiful pink nacre to my repertoire of shell materials- though Turbo’s pink
nacre was no longer as readily available as it was in the past with a steady supply from Pacific and Indian Oceans. However, due to collapse of French Fashion Industry during the depression in the 20s and 30s, significant amounts of already cut and carved pieces of pink nacre were left unused in various antique shops and flee markets. It was my luck to be in Paris in the late 1990s, since it seemed that I was the only one interested in acquiring vintage nacre- to up cycle it into new inspirational designs with contemporary aesthetic sensibilities. The concept of up cycling has gained great popularity in the last decade, due to ever greater consciousness and awareness about the environmental destruction, and the notion to stop adding more to a world that is already overwhelmed with material things. There also virtue in reusing vintage materials that may otherwise be hard to find as was my case with Turbo Marmoratus.
Even if these beautiful shells are available in their natural form I always preferred to use vintage pre-carved carved pieces from the Art Deco period, especially with the quality of craftsmanship much superior to newer machine cut pieces. I use these fragments of vintage material in creative and innovative ways producing original, always one-of-a-kind items. In general, I recommend up cycling as a way for all designers to be more efficient and creative in giving a new contemporary form and life to a vintage piece. I see it as a noble and sustainable way to think, create, be sensitive, and aware about the value of our oceans treasures in the environment already under tremendous threat.