I have been working with the idea of growing spiritual microbiomes since 2016 when I was in Japan cultivating microbes from the kami sama located within the Shinto shrines of Onishi. (see Observation and Ritual under Projects tab). I was interested in what a sample imbued with sacred meaning would look like vs. a “secular” sample. The kami sama rest in small houses built for traveling spirits (like a hotel). I placed the petri dishes at the entrance to thesedwellings and then placed others outside the roped-off area of the shrine. I was also interested in the water used to cleanse the human visitors entering the space. These pools of water are used for cleansing unseeable impurities so that we can respectfully and ‘purely’ enter sacred spaces. This reminded me of my early years of going to church with my mother and how holy water is used in Catholicism. Holy water is used to cleanse and heal unseeable afflictions. You cross yourself with water that has been blessed by a priest at the doors, and sometimes the water is thrown from the altar onto the parishioners. If you are sick holy water is applied, if you are possessed holy water is cast upon you, and if you wish to enter the kingdom of heaven, holy water is poured over you in baptism.
The first image is a few drops of my blood captured and separated by heme, globin, and plasma in a solution of dead sea mineral water. I was fascinated to see the separation in the solution, and the crystal that formed around the white blood cells, encapsulating it. Is the crystal protecting the white blood cells, finally giving the protectors of our body an ‘eternal’ rest? Or is it a tomb built around them, mummifying the cells? I have a lot of questions! So my brain starts creating stories.
“A refuge over the millennia for messiahs, martyrs and zealots, the Dead Sea region abounds with sites sacred to Islam, Christianity and Judaism.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-dying-of-the-dead-sea-70079351/ - more about the dead sea and the environmental catastrophes being experienced in the region.
The second, third, and fourth images are from sheep’s blood cultivation mediums inoculated with holy water from the Vatican. Blood, sheep, shepherding, and holy water are all important symbols in Catholicism. Through the observation of what grows in the holy water we use to cleanse and bless ourselves upon entering holy sites, we can speculate that the microbiome from our skin enters the pool creating a unique bath of sinners and prayers; instead of the individual, the unique signature of the flock.
The last image is a custom-made frame I created for the holy water cultures using visual elements from ‘healing’ such as vitamins, vegetables, and crystals. This is an ongoing project, and updates will be posted here!
