Zangbeto - Night Spirits

Exhibited in Aether & Alchemy, presented as part of NGV Melbourne Design Week 2024. Curated group exhibition exploring the classical elements - earth, wind, fire, water, and space through contemporary jewellery.

Zangbeto is a pair of sculptural earrings named after the West African deity Zangbeto - guardian of the night and spiritual protector of the community. In traditional Ewe and Yoruba belief systems, Zangbeto spirits appear in towering, whirling forms during ritual dances that invoke the natural elements and the power of the land to cleanse, guide, and protect.

Responding to the classical element of earth, the earrings channel this energy through form and symbolism, grounding adornment in ancestral guardianship, environmental reverence, and cultural continuity. They explore the idea of jewellery not only as decoration, but as conduit - holding presence, memory, and the possibility of spiritual intervention.

Handcrafted from 100% recycled sterling silver, Zangbeto honours sustainable practice while embodying the earth’s cyclical strength, ritual motion, and deep-rooted protection.