looklooklook [datura]

PROCESS

The seed of this work was the song, it came to me like a mantra. I percieved it like a call to move in the direction of what has been shut down, as hidden and forbidden desires. My works are often the result of many threads coming together, could be a question that puzzles me (both personally, spiritually, and politically), a place I am called too, a material, symbol, craft or color and often also a song, a plant and force of nature. And then I let coincidences in art and life guide me.

By the time I was being called to the flower “Datura Brugmansia” as portrayed in the works of Carlos Castaneda. A medicinal plant with the potential of killing, bringing to psychosis or making obsessed by its beauty - those who grow and ingest her. But also a powerful allie to the medicine man that approaches her with respect.

The work developed during a time when I was doing field studies in South America to learn about pre-colombian use of gold sacrifice and the first version exhibited was also portraying the journey.

It became a meditiation on polarity of dark and light, the penetrative and the receptive. A meditation on power, the temptation to misuse it, to get lost and to follow the heart. An investigation on the power of plants, songs and spells. Most of all - an investigation of power.

THE WILL

The song was initially sold as vinyl singles. But the vinyl singles were casted in plaster. They worked to play for about 20-30 times before the tracks were erased by the needle.

In 2018 the song and video was digitally released under artist name The Will.