Hello All,
I'm new to Blogger and so this layout isn't exactly what I wanted, but it will do. I also have more images to come.
Anyway, the top 3 images are of a memorial ritual that I held with some fellow artists last spring. During this ritual, I asked
everyone present to light the 200 plus white candles one by one that I had melted to a shopping cart. I collected these from thrift stores. Many of the candles had been burnt before. All had a unique history that was unknown to me. Each shape and texture was unique. My only stipulation (to myself) was that they would all be some shade of white. I asked the people present to think of someone dear to them that they had lost as they lit their candles and I explained who the people were whose names I was about to read. The candles were lit one by one as I read aloud each name on what was then Women In Black's current "List of The Dead". I held this ritual as a way to encourage empathy for those in our community we don't know and to figure out how to use symbolism and form in relation to memorial and death. This was not something I sat around and intellectualized. I only know that while working on my thesis project I was one day compelled to buy a shopping cart and candles and do this. I do have video to share of this ritual if anyone wants to see it. I did not post it because the video is way to small on line to appreciate.
I wanted to post these images in reponse to Clark's question back on June 22nd, about what symbols have a place in the HPR.
Michael has repeatedly rasied his concern that some of the imagery in the project include specific references to homelessness. I have shared these photographs with many people and received various reactions. Visual forms or symbols mean different things to different people. Some see stereotyping in the shopping cart image. Other see beauty and truth and do not take offense. I am still not completely certain what I see. I do know that that during that memorial almost 30 people stayed for hours to watch and listen (mostly in silence) as all of the candles burnt down into one large pool of wax. The dripping sound was slow at times and intense pouring at other times. There was a breathtaking merging of sorts as all of the candles burnt each other down and became one. It was mesmerizing. Some saw the wax as tears. Some saw it as life blood. What do you see?
The last photo is one I meant to include in a 2nd round of images that I will get to soon. For those of you who may not know it, these flyers were taped to a fence in Ballard where WIB held a death ritual for Mathew Korpinen who died this year after being beated with a lead pipe.
Thanks for reading. Nicki.
