TIFFANY SINGH
NEW ZEALAND
In collaboration with:
Meredith Robertshawe
New Zealand
What the Thunder Said
2020
Cast beeswax deva Theppanom, Wellington Greywacke, stoneware ceramic vessels, tree roots, Magnolia seed pods, bird nests, moth cocoons, chevron and dragon’s teeth amethyst crystals, burnt wood, Japanese metal bell, freshwater pearls, Bursera graveolens Palo Santo/holy wood incense, sphagnum moss, Tradescantia zebrina and Epipremnum aureum vines.
Imbued with ancient energies and symbolism that acknowledges our human, intrinsic connection to earth mother Papatūānuku, this sacred altar holds potential for us to protect, nurture and restore our degraded natural, cultural, and spiritual landscapes.
The guardian angel/deva Theppanom, believed to have come to earth to protect Buddha on reaching enlightenment, holds sacred feminine space here amongst gathered empty cocoons and fallen bird’s nests, dry seed pods, tree roots crumbling from friable earth, ceramic vessels dry of water and ethically-sourced crystals and incense.
Drawing on the rhythms and poetics of the lunar cycle, the now-underground streams of Wellington city’s reclaimed foreshore, and T.S. Eliot’s The Wasteland, this sacred space is renewed through daily offerings of fresh rainwater and sustenance from the earth, allowing us to rejuvenate our disembodied connection with the land we inhabit, as new plant growth honours the delicate balance of life.
This installation connects with the UN Sustainable Development Goals of good health and wellbeing (3), gender equality (5), sustainable water management (6), sustainable terrestrial ecosystems (15) and peaceful and inclusive societies (16)
