Every element of my art-making process is a ritual act. This includes the firing. Grief cannot be hurried - it's an ongoing weighty process. likewise my grief dolls are fired gradually, in slow steady procession.
The chamber of the kiln is small and intimate - smaller in volume than a ladies shoe box. It is a sacred bounded space which facilitates transformation from one state to another. I acquired it solely for the purpose of firing these tiny beings.
In the midst of grief, there is a need to be witnessed - a need to be understood. We seek out kindred spirits, others who have endured similar traumas.
This need for support is reflected in the firing process. Each new figure that enters the kiln is accompanied by a companion figure - one that has already been through the firing process and can act as a compassionate guide.
Seventeen months into my grief, there now exists a long lineage of figures, each one following the same intentional pattern of firing.
Image:
Soul Companions, view inside the kiln before firing. During firing the clay figures change from grey to orange.
Copyright Lu La Buzz 2023
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