Capitalism is always on the hunt for beautiful ideas to commercialize. Sometimes this spawns invention of new ideas. Sometimes these ideas are licensed or borrowed with attribution/credit given where due. And sometimes they're simply taken from communities that receive little recognition or economic benefit in exchange.
We can acknowledge that not every instance of cultural borrowing is intentionally disrespectful and not every instance is willingly respectful. Let's just say the quiet part out loud that at its best, commerce can celebrate and sustain cultural traditions and at its worst, it can extract value, recognition, and benefit. One way that all of this nuance stands out to me is the use of ancient symbols in modern times.
Two of the most meaningful courses of my long Art History education were Global Theology and Symbolism and Ethnography. Those classes opened my eyes to just how many ancient symbols are used in the modern world; once you start noticing symbols, you just can't stop.
Symbols show up in jewelry, wallpaper, tattoos, handbags, sneakers, and even mundane items like phone cases. Some are worn just because they're beautiful and others because they're trendy. Others because they represent faith, status, protection, luck, or family.
Some symbols are very contextual and can mean something completely different depending on where you are in the world, or who is wearing it. Still some make me wonder if they would be worn if the wearer knew their original meaning. Take for example the evil eye symbols trending today and Van Cleef and Arpels Alhambra.
The evil eye symbol is having a moment and you just have to open a shopping page to see it plastered on everything from apparel to home decor. The ancient belief that people can cause bad luck with negativity and shield themselves from it with protective talismans crosses all cultures. However, the evil eye being used as that talisman that wards off evil goes as far back as Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt and even South Asia. So who commercialized it and put it on...yoga pants? That is for another post.
Since it's design in 1968 Van Cleef & Arpels has described the Alhambra motif as a lucky four-leaf clover. Yet the collection shares a name with Granada's Alhambra, one of the world's most significant examples of Islamic art and architecture, and a site celebrated for its repeating geometric ornament, carved stonework, and centuries of artistic influence. That ancient 4 pointed quatrefoil design that is now called a 4-leaf clover is prominent throughout Byzantine, Gothic, and Islamic art. Whether that naming was homage, inspiration, branding, or something else entirely is open to interpretation but it illustrates how symbols and motifs often travel across cultures either by force or by trade and acquire new meanings along the way depending on who is using them.
There is a reason CultureSchool's motif is a magpie; we believe there is true human connection through collection and interaction with each other. That symbols cross borders, generations, and disciplines has never been the question because that is simply part of human history. Seeing them inspire us to think because they should. The question is whether we as a human society is willing to understand them and their meaning before we use them.
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