Peacock Family Crest

Wall-Mounted Assemblage Sculpture - Found Objects & Mixed Media - 2021

A metal wall sculpture of a bird with outstretched wings, perched on a colorful base with a circular element behind its head.

Overview

Peacock Family Crest is Emmanuel Marti's first assemblage sculpture, a dynamic wall-mounted work inspired by his wife Kelly's peacock tattoo and created as a celebration of love, strength, and resilience. Combining reclaimed objects, personal artifacts, vibrant color, and gilded details, the sculpture transforms fragments of family history and childhood memory into a bold, unified composition. Its flowing forms and luminous palette mark the beginning of Emmanuel's assemblage practice and the visual language that continues to shape his work today.

A detailed mixed-media sculpture resembling a bird with outstretched wings, made from various metal parts, gears, and mechanical components, mounted on an art piece with a circular, colorful background featuring greenery.

Details

Year, 2021

Size, Large

Materials: Family Heirlooms, Personal Objects, Found Objects, Metal Components, Wood, Integrated LED Lighting

Dimensions: 84 × 84 × 12 in.

The Story Behind
Peacock Family Crest

Discover the personal story, symbolism, and experimentation behind the sculpture that began Emmanuel Marti's assemblage journey.

Peacock Family Crest, the artist's first assemblage sculpture, is a bold celebration of love, strength, and resilience. Inspired by his wife Kelly's striking peacock tattoo, the work was created as a dynamic wall-mounted sculpture that extends beyond the wall with a sense of movement—fierce, beautiful, and symbolic of their union.

Deeply personal artifacts are woven throughout the composition, each carrying its own history. Kelly's roller derby wheels, fragments of the artist's childhood toys—including a starship embedded within the tail—and his great-grandmother's century-old kitchen knife all become integral parts of the sculpture's identity. The knife, engraved with the phrase "Fuck Around and Find Out," brings an unexpected blend of family history, humor, and resilience to the work.

The flowing forms, vibrant colors, and gilded accents draw inspiration from the Art Nouveau master Alphonse Mucha, particularly his graceful curves and luminous palette of golds and greens. More than a single sculpture, Peacock Family Crest represents the beginning of the artist's assemblage journey. Through extensive experimentation with new techniques, tools, and materials, it became the formative work that established the creative language and construction methods that continue to shape his practice today.

A Closer Look

Every assemblage reveals new stories through its textures, materials, and hidden details.

Decorative wall art featuring a large metal dragonfly with wings spread, along with colorful glass artwork or panels depicting a green landscape, trees, and a sky, illuminated by warm lighting on a wall in a room with windows and framed pictures.
Close-up of a decorative wall clock with illuminated green flower-shaped lights around the clock face, a black metal butterfly decoration, and black electrical wires, set against a textured beige wall and a blue patterned floor.
Close-up view of a vintage bicycle handlebar with a leather strap that has the text 'FOUND AND LOST' engraved, and decorative elements including flowers and leaf patterns in the background and on the handlebar.
A long, colorful, artistic installation with a swirling, abstract design. It features large black wings extending from the sides and an intricate, rainbow-colored pattern with green accents in the middle. It is situated in a workshop or studio space, with tools, wires, and items surrounding it, and a person standing nearby.
A metal sculpture of a bird with outstretched wings, made of various wires and metallic materials, placed on a work table in a workshop surrounded by tools and supplies.
A dismantled electronic device showing internal circuits, wires, and metallic components illuminated by colorful light reflections.
Metal sculpture of a face with a mirrored surface, intricate details, and illuminated with warm light, on a worktable in a workshop.
Rear view of a disassembled Harley Davidson motorcycle frame on a workbench, with various tools and parts scattered around, in a workshop.
View of a disassembled internal mechanism, possibly from a mechanical device or engine, with various metal parts, gears, and wires on a work surface.
A pencil sketch of a whimsical tree with a spiral trunk, branches, and circular leaves, accompanied by handwritten notes and measurements.