"Polly Want a Panoply" Amanda Pereira

Polly Want a Panoply, 2022

Candlestick, plaster, epoxy clay, hand-placed glass beads

16 x 10 x 8”

$750.00

Polly Want a Panoply is an exploration of contrast, delicacy and strength, vulnerability and protection. The title, a playful reimagining of the classic phrase “Polly want a cracker,” fuses the familiar with the unexpected, invoking panoply, the term for a full suit of armor. This juxtaposition serves as the foundation of the piece: a seemingly fragile bird encased in a painstakingly detailed, beaded exoskeleton, transformed into a warrior.

Perched atop a 16-inch wooden candlestick, the bird, originally a plaster figurine, has been meticulously encased in a two-part epoxy clay, then adorned with hundreds of hand-placed, glass beads. Each bead functions like a tiny scale, reinforcing the concept of armor while also nodding to the intricate beauty of avian plumage. The deliberate tension between softness and fortification challenges expectations. What does it mean to protect something so inherently delicate? How does defense alter identity?

Through more than 20 hours of labor, this piece evolved into more than a decorative transformation; it became a meditation on resilience. In nature, birds are often symbols of freedom and fragility, yet here, encased in glimmering armor, this small creature stands defiant and dignified. Polly Want a Panoply invites the viewer to consider the ways we shield ourselves, whether out of necessity, survival, or the simple desire to endure.