12' x 11.4' x 8'h
1,240 Quarts of planting soil, 93 yards of white sheets, 1 Iris Flower Continuous sound loop of a heart beating.
Inspired by death and rebirth, the artist created an installation where one is invited to enter the piece after taking off their shoes, so that they can feel the moist cold soil in-between their toes while inside the sacred interior. The white drapes evoke memories of weddings, birth, and heaven, while at the same time echoing the images of white sheets placed over the dead. At the far end, in the center, is a single Iris flower. Historically, the Iris flower is associated with death. “Iris” was the Greek goddess of the rainbow, which used to travel down to earth with messages from the gods, and to transport women’s souls to the underworld. The flower itself is alive, but has been cut and is in its transition to death, while the wood box that holds the soil is wrapped in the manner similar to the inside of a casket.