7 Diamonds in 7 Days, Why NYC Artist is Giving Major Bling to Strangers
On Thursday night, New York artist Jamison Ernest made the surprise announcement that he would be extending his gallery show an additional week so he could give a gift back to seven lucky visitors: $77,777-worth of diamonds. Starting on Saturday, he'll hide a single 177-facted stone each day in a candlelit maze. "I hope a man who wants to get engaged but can't afford a diamond finds one," he tells Yahoo Shine. "Or a person who doesn't have enough money to get their family food and gifts for the holidays." He adds, "A lot of people have been beaten down so badly by life but just need a little bit of hope to believe in themselves again." The diamonds were purchased with proceeds from sales of his work so far and he had no idea until a couple of weeks ago if he could pull it off or if last night would be the closing party.
More on Yahoo: 'Pink Star' Diamond Auctioned for Record $83 Million
Jamison knows from experience what it means to be given a second chance. Six months ago, he had a vision but no money to create his work. He launched a Kickstarter campaign for $2,500, which ballooned into about $65,000 dollars of donations. Another campaign brought the total up to over $120,000. He poured the money into creating his paintings and sculpture and building out the raw space for his show, Bouncing Cars, which opened on November 8 in a former meatpacking warehouse.
More on Yahoo: Artist Nails Iconic Celebrities
"The meaning of the work is open to the viewers," but my personal take on it is that life is not about the dead ends we hit, but our ability to see past them and overcome them." The show is called Bouncing Cars and also comes from a shocking event that could have been tragic but instead provided and extraordinary message of redemption. Fifteen years ago, Ernest was driving on the Belt Parkway near his home in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, when the car in front of him began to swerve out of control. It smashed into a guardrail and flipped through the air ejecting the couple inside. He pulled over and, miraculously, both the man and woman were still alive. After an ambulance arrived, he never saw them again, but the vision of the near-catastrophe has haunted him ever since.
About 5,000 people have attended the show so far, and the precious jewels are sure to attract many more. Only seven people will be allowed into the maze at a time for seven minutes. Jamison uses the number seven because, as he explain its, the number is the foundation for many systems, "Seven phases of man's life according to Shakespeare, seven days of the week, seven vertebrae [in the neck]." Inside the maze, which also has of seven passages, visitors will encounter messages to persevere, such as "In the Dark is When Our Visions Become Clear." Jamison says he hopes people will exit the maze and re-enter the light with a renewed sense of possibility. Bouncing Cars will be open until November 30 every day but Thanksgiving at the Ambassador Gallery at 450 West 14 th Street in New York City.
Also on Yahoo Shine:
Marilyn Monroe on a Lipstick? Artist Carves Famous Faces out of Beauty Staple
Danish Royal Family Goes Goth In Creepy New Portrait
From Dog Collars to Credit Cards: The Craziest Things Ever Encrusted with Diamonds
