Protection Against Evil

This symbol Is known as the Hasma, it is an ancient symbol used as protection for Jews and Muslims.
It has great and rich religious meaning and history for both religions, it can come in a variety of designs but the main components remain the same. For example the shape of the hand and the eye in the centre, the eye is considered a powerful talisman against the “evil eye” and is often worn around the neck.

This is the most decorative piece could find, though there is a lot more extravagant versions, this one is constructed intricately and beautifully using Indian ink and paper. It gives it a honest yet attractive look, other then the border there is nothing left blank, it is filled with designs and shapes, this is a evident trait in a lot of Muslim art. This is because if the heavy use of curved patterns and high contrast designs, which only emphasise the centrepiece of the eye you can almost feel the culture in this symbol. This symbol is often worn as jewellery so it had become highly decorative, and many interpretations have been made over the thousands of years. You can see why you would fee protection from this symbol, its firm strong metal hand with a all seeing eye in the centre to look over you.

REACTION


i took the idea of ancient and intricate designs and incorporated it heavily into this design. i decided upon putting it into a shield as i believe it is one of the most recognizable designs for protection. i created simular black ink designs on my shield, i also decided upon putting an eye in the middle like the hand, i think this shows where its inspiration has come from, and gives it further meaning.