Staff

Clarin newspaper article (21-6-03)

Objects Of Art For Sailors

Cecilia de Castro
The jeweler Daniel Taboda (46) and the sculptor Alejandro Benaros (41) have found an unexploited niche until this moment. and also very profitable: the nautical gold or silver work.

The two of them studied in the Raggio Fundation; Taboada jewelry work and Benaros carver work.

After that, they perfected they technics with master Antonio Pujia. Meanwhile, one of them worked as a jeweler and the other reconditioning antiques.

In 1993 Benaros studied in the atelier of the great Argentinian sculpturer Mónica Chames, who encouraged him "to create objects of art"

"I've always sailed and in 1997 i took clases to be a yacht pilot in the Guard Coast. When my mates saw my works, they ask me to do some silver lapel pins for the graduates.Thus was born the idea of doing jewelry and sculptures with nautical motives", says Benaros.

But the one to one* didn't allow them to take off (or to weigh anchor we should say) "it was impossible to compete with imported jewelry" they say. Thus, each of them follow their own ocupations although in their spare times they made nautical desigs. In 2000 "we already had 50 originals".

Until 2002 arrived, and the cacerolazos**, the devaluation, and there yes: "it was the time to loosen ropes" says Benaros in nautical language.

In the begining they published articles in specialized magazines. There they ofered nautical jewels and sculptures, for personal use.

"On the first phone call we received they asked for trophies for a nautical club. Nothing to do with what we were ofering or with the public we were aiming at" we had to change before we have begun" Taboada recalls.

But it was the same client the one who gave them the key: "My wife was tired of so many little cups, all alike. "i don't even know in what competition i won each of them" she said. "So we realised that our challenge was to differ from anybody else". In that moment nautical silver and gold work had been borned, their undertaking.

In this way they knew their objetive: they should transform a boring trophy into an object of decoration and, also, personalized for each competition.

Then they made designs with lighthouses, sea gulls, regatta-boats that allowed the owner, in seeing them in his shelf at home, to relive the moment that made him win the award.

Today, apart from the trophies they also offer jewels, medals and sculptures. The main target is people related to navigation, a very wealthy sector and with a lot to be exploited. Every weekend all the nautical clubs organize competitions, that implicates that there's a big consumption"

The prices of the trophies vary between u$s 20 and u$s ????? , the silver jewels starts in u$s 25 and the sculptures in u$s 80 . But they not only limit themselves into nautical design. Water became a transmition media, due to the contacts they have made. One of them is the Boehringer Ingelheim Laboratory. Every year Taboada and Benaros made medals for those employees who retire.

Among waves, there it was another unespected work. Benaros participated in the Camel Art Collector Campaign, that included the camel of the brand representated by consecrated artists. "they ask me to do the camel acording to Botero". i did a sculpture of 3 and half meters of heigh" he comments.And that's not all. they also make prow covers (?) for antique boats.

A big part of the work gets to them though the sailors, yes, but the other ones. Those who surf in the web. Through the website "we receive a lot of orders, so many that we are about to accept no one more" they assure.

"The studio is at home and we work all day long. We have our heads full-steamed" they say, without abondon the nautical alegories.

*(dollar to pesos)

**(kind of strikes where argentinian people hit their casseroles)

PIC: Alex sailing

PIC: Dany

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