Location: Unity Garden

“A Tradition of Elegance and Quality in Three Dimensions” is a mosaic sculpture that explores the relationship between natural and urban environments — inspired by shoe repair shop signs across New York City and brought to life on a monumental men’s dress shoe.  

The work draws from Brazil’s Malandro archetype, a cultural figure associated with wit, style, and urban survival as well as the idea of the “gentleman” embodied by the elegance of classic American menswear in figures like Fred Astaire. Through this fusion, the sculpture examines how urban patterns and symbols become part of one’s personal ecology.  

Raised in New York City, DaSilva’s understanding of environment and place was shaped by streetscapes: shoe repair shops, beauty salons, barbershops, and neon signage. These textures inform the sculpture’s surface, which incorporates mosaic patterns inspired by Roberto Burle Marx’s Copacabana shoreline in Rio de Janeiro and yellow accents that reference timeless New York City taxi cabs. A plant emerging from the shoe introduces natural growth into the urban form. 

Constructed from carved insulation foam, mortar, mirror, tile, and stained glass, the work reflects an interest in elevating everyday objects into something sacred. Through the process of mosaic, the widely advertised men’s dress shoe is transformed into a hybrid relic reflecting migration, cultural exchange, and transformation.