Ancestral Sounds (Masks: celluclay, aluminium mesh, dyes, seashells, acrylic paint; Sound Components: Copper tubes, seashells, animal bones, ceramic pieces, bamboo poles, wood, bamboo strips, dried plant material, Xeroxed photos, string , wire, aluminium mesh screen, baked bread, candles, braided dried grasses, 2003).
(Interactive Companion piece/ collection: bones, simulated and authentic seashells, sections of copper tubes, bark and wood pieces, beads, stones and simulated stones, bundles of sage and lavender, bamboo strips and bamboo crosses, mahogany boards for drawings/ writings).
I have been making outdoor constructions from natural objects that respond to the wind with motion and sound for many years. Thus the wind piece proposal for the Re: Wind Exhibition seemed like a logical progression. Fascinated with wind's ability to create movement, direction, sound, resonance, and vibration in natural and human made objects, I saw a major challenge in creating an indoor wind chime that would respond in similar ways without wind. I chose copper as a key material in Ancestral Sounds for many reasons; copper's unique sound resonance as well as its visual appeal. Also important is copper's ability to produce harmonious energy fields which are believed to promote physical and emotion healing in those near them. The materials for the various strands were chosen to represent the elements of the earth (bones, clay, wood, bamboo, gourds, and bundles of sage and lavender). The element of fire is clay, the element of minerals is copper tubes and bones, the element of air is the motor, and finally the element of water is represented by seas
hells. At the same time many of these materials such as the bones, the masks, Xeroxed photos of ancestors on wood blocks, woven bread rings with candles, sage and lavender bundles work together to pay homage to my Ukrainian ancestry. If the masks symbolically represent these ancestors the sounds created by the piece function both as an homage to these ancestors and as a means for the ancestors to communicate to the living. The sounds in my piece are symbolically made by the ancestors as a remembrance of their lives and their connections to my history and the sounds I have put together are my attempt at honouring my ancestors; their hopes, dreams and achievements. In addition the bundles of sage and lavender are sweet smelling offerings to the ancestors and serve as symbolic purifiers. The vertical shape of the wind piece reinforces a connection between the earth, the home of the living, and the heavens, where the ancestors now live. The vertical elements lead you up to heaven and bring you back down to earth. The scale is endless and without end or beginning.
The interactive companion piece to "Ancestral Sounds" was created to make my ideas more relevant to gallery visitors. If "Ancestral Sounds" enabled me to honour my ancestors the interactive piece gave visitors the opportunity homage to ancestors of their own and to connect their heritage more meaningfully to their present lives. The gallery visitors were invited to reflect upon their family history, choose an ancestor to draw on one of the provided wood pieces and then write something pertinent on the back. Next the visitor could select an object to hang on the same strand. Here, then, is the viewer's ancestor being honoured and the ancestor answers by echoing back a sound.