The Independent Hearts series takes the form of an oversized Coração de Viana, the iconic Portuguese filigree heart, painstakingly composed from plastic cutlery. Suspended from a central axis, the works perform a continuous circular rotation, evoking the cycles of life and the notion of eternal return, accompanied by three evocative fados—Estranha Forma de Vida, Gaivota, and Maldição—performed by Amália Rodrigues, the great diva of Portuguese music in the second half of the twentieth century.

The title of the work is drawn from a verse in Estranha Forma de Vida, written by Alfredo Duarte (Marceneiro) and Amália Rodrigues, whose lyrics express the tension between emotion and reason. By multiplying the use of ordinary plastic cutlery to the point where its original form is abstracted, transforming it into a work of art inspired by a precious piece of Portuguese filigree, Vasconcelos reconfigures familiar references through new social and artistic frameworks. In doing so, she exposes the artificiality of the boundaries drawn between luxury and banality.

Independent Hearts is a powerful and deeply emotive kinetic and sound installation dedicated to love, fate, and death—the great lyrical themes of fado.