
Lighthouse
At its core, Ancestor veneration is a connection through space and time. This connection is one of transcendent community and connection across generations. We honor the deceased by recognizing their continued influence in the lives of the living and the legacy of humanity.
Many of our ancestors embraced Animism, a worldview that sees all elements of the natural world as interconnected and alive with Spirit and Ancestor. Practitioners of all walks still recognize our harmonious relationships within the natural world, where all things are embedded with aliveness and ancestral threads of life.
Sculptural assemblage with black painted interior of Limulus polyphemus (horseshoe crab) shell, wired onto glass lamp with sand-filled base, and vintage glass blown Edison lightbulb. The lamp is touch-activated at its base with a dimmable bulb.
Lighthouse is an embodiment of ancestral light that serves as a beacon to call the beloved dead home
Light is one of the key factors in ancestral veneration. Candles are lit to guide spirits through the dark of the past into the light of the present. Light acts as a source for spirits in their various states of embodiment, a warm glow lit by someone who remembers them.
Lighthouse is the technological embrace of ancestral veneration. A symbol of homecoming, Lighthouse stands as a beacon that summons Ancestors towards a safe harbor while adrift in a vast cosmic sea. It blends our most ancient animal relatives with modern electrical technology. The piece serves as a point of connection in the dark between us and the beloved dead.
Ritually consecrated with familiar spirits that facilitate ancestral communication to serve as a spiritual focal point to connect with one’s own lineage. The piece was washed with salt and fresh water and given smoke offerings with elected materials including benzoin, frankincense, bladderwrack seaweed, dandelion root, cedar, and scrapings from the shell. Construction of this piece was performed over a month with daily dedication to the partnered spirits within the piece and performed during auspicious astrological timings.
For the experienced user, the black-painted interior of the shell may be utilized as a scrying mirror for an individual to connect with their dead, focusing on the light and allowing those who have passed to step forward.
It is made from an authentic and ethically sourced Atlantic horseshoe crab shell (Limulus polyphemus) outfitted with a vintage blown glass Edison lightbulb and fixed with gold wiring atop a glass lamp base. The lamp itself is touched, activated, and filled with blessed sand from a beach beneath a lighthouse with a port that allows the user to fill the lamp with material from their own ancestral homelands or places of meaning.
The piece stands 8.5” wide x 24” high with a depth of 7”
For more on the personal construction of this piece, Dreaming of a Lighthouse
Exhibition History
The Art of Dreams, BrooklynArtCave, Brooklyn, NY Oct 25th - Nov 2nd 2024
Wild Kingdoms: Animals Reimagined, Bushwick Gallery, Brooklyn, NY Nov 7th - Nov 18th 2024
Light, ARTHOUSE.NYC, New York, NY, Dec 12-30th 2024