“The infinite surface with no beginning or end serves as a timeless symbol of continuity, unity, and the unbreakable nature of deep human relationships. Its form aims to capture the essence of Jota in action, where strength is tempered by elegance and power is expressed through fluidity rather than thought.
“The aim for the sculpture is to embody movement itself, reflecting the dynamic yet graceful nature of Jota’s skills and the harmony between physical precision and expressive motion, poised between acceleration and restraint, conveying his sense of rhythm and athletic intelligence.
“Cast in bronze, these fragile items gain permanence, transforming personal remembrance into a lasting physical presence. The single PlayStation controller is a metaphor for Jota himself. His love of gaming and his signature celebration pose, play and friendship, all forged in time.”
Several maquettes – a small model – of the initial workings were created by Emma and her team, ensuring the design from initial sketches right through to completion incorporated each element exactly how they were envisioned.
Flowers and scarves left in tribute to Diogo and André at Anfield have also been immortalised in the new memorial, with the textures from those having been pressed into the frame and other areas, ensuring supporters have a key place in the tribute.
“Once we’d got that final maquette correct, we used something called a pantograph,” Emma explained.
“That’s been used since Da Vinci’s time, so we scale up to the nearest millimetre, a very simple steel frame and then I started to dip some of the scarves into wax and then I was also making sheets of wax, which I then folded into this infinity heart, which was two interconnected pieces.