Reliquaries
A reliquary is a container for relics, which are the purported or actual physical remains of saints. In my work, I explore glass, skin, and water – materials with visual similarities - in relation to ritual. These 3 substances serve as the material “saints” of my practice - Glass, as the material manifestation of light and purity; Skin, as the material manifestation of self and labour; Water, as the material manifestation of ablution and ritual.
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Reliquary for Self (Reflection), 2021
Reliquary for Self (Reflection) loosely borrows its form from that of a monstrance, a vessel used in churches for the exhibition of objects of piety, such as the consecrated Eucharistic host. In the centre of the sculpture, hinged glass panels depicting hands in prayer open to show a mirror. The mirror is only visible when the glass panels are opened, transforming the reflection on the mirror into a relic in a moment of consecration. The hands are animated into a playful peek-a-boo gesture as the glass panels open and close, revealing one’s reflection when open and obscuring it when closed. When the reliquary is in use, a candle is placed in front of the mirror, illuminating one’s reflection when open, and emanating light from within the reliquary even when the hands cover the mirror.
Reliquary for Water, 2021
Reliquary for Water is topped by a Chalice, with a tiny crack that allows water to drip through at a highly controlled speed when it is in use. The arch-shaped reliquary contains several suspended glass drops, falling from hands interrupted mid-ablution, that animate the reliquary even when it is not in use. The base contains a receptacle for the falling water droplets, that pool above a mirror that reflects the water caustics onto the surrounding area.
Reliquary for Light, 2021
Reliquary for Light houses a fluorescent light tube within engraved mirror panels. The engraving on the panels allow for light to emanate from the reliquary, and at the same time reflects the image of the participant, making their image part of the object. A hand made from fused glass beads sits atop the mirror panels, with a stigmatic bell in the center of the palm.