October 2021: large scale assemblage entered for Threads That Bind, a national juried exhibition at Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition. I delight that viewers have shared how Totem evokes their own significant cultural rituals such as Temple trees, Shinto ōnusa, Native American kachinas, Tibetian prayer flags.
Materials and meanings
•Thread (thread of the spirit)
•Hand sewn Milagros (healing)
•Cyanotype printed prayer flags (promote peace, strength and wisdom)
•Various fibers with ritual knotting (infinity, good luck, good energy)
•Copper leafed sycamore branch (sycamore symbolizes strength, protection, eternity)
•Repurposed fabric torn white cloth (reminiscent of Shinto holy tree ropes)
•Repurposed cotton (cotton symbol of luck healing protection in Native American culture)
•Tomato stands (Chinese astrology, tomato means good luck, stepping into new phase)
•Repurposed Sunday hat (hat commitment to faith, cultural identity)
•Bells (voice of spirit, communicate with ancestors)
•Repurposed bubble wrap crown (crown, a symbol of power and dignity)