Seeking New Gods
Seeking New Gods is a time-based installation consisting of glass urns which contain microcosms of decay and regeneration. Within the vessels, earthworms, springtails, and various other detritivores reconstitute decaying organic material and powerful icons into fertile soil. Each urn contains symbols representing our current gods, the forces that dominate modern American society: capitalism, nationalism, and religion. One vessel reconstitutes currency, transforming capitalist notions of value into growth. Another entombs an American flag, decomposing a symbol of nationhood and imperialism into the earth itself. The last urn slowly digests a prayer service for the burial of the dead from the Book of Common Prayer and Bible, given to me upon my confirmation. These soul jars reflect the possibilities of composting as a metaphor for positive transformation—that we can learn from the metabolism inherent to the living earth to reconstitute our systems in productive ways. Seeds germinating from composted material sprout from the topsoil hinting at regeneration and regrowth in this visualized future.
Exhibited at the Bronx Museum Sixth Aim Biennial