In Hinduism, Earth (Prithvi) was created by the god Brahma, whose consort was Saraswati, goddess of knowledge and creative arts.

The earliest known mention of Saraswati is in the Rigveda as a river goddess/ the personification of the Sarasvati river – some interpretations of the Sanskrit have “saras” meaning “flow;” a concept I wanted to incorporate into this piece.

The sinamay I picked for this hat has flashes of watery blue, opulent gold, and pink running through it.

In iconography Saraswati is depicted with four arms, holding a book, a mālā of crystal prayer beads, a water pot, and a musical instrument called the vīnā. Each of these items have a symbolic meaning in Hinduism.The rolled sinamay detailing is my take on these arms, and three handmade mystical crystal beads (sculpted from Worbla with splashes of complementary colours found in the sinamay.) are my nod to the mālā.

A hamsa, or swan, is usually shown near her feet as the vahana of Saraswati and Brahma.

The elegant spiral of Worbla is my interpretation of this symbolic swan; intrinsically entwined within the arms, cradling two of the crystal beads, and is also hand-coloured to reflect the the sinamay.

Balance and contrast were important in this interpretation; I decided to use both natural materials such as sinamay and silk, and purposefully contrast these with the especially unnatural thermoplastic and lurex thread. As with many of my pieces I have a desire to find sustainable options for many elements, and given the Earth theme this year my aim was to only use materials I already had rather than buy any new; here I have used one of Highland Hat Blocks “Eco Blocks,” and was fortunate to rescue a very torn original 1940s silk scarf heading for the tip, to use as the lining.

Note: Entries have been not been edited or proofread to protect the integrity of the maker's original meaning.