Bedroom Divine:
Reclamation Be Thy Name
In summer and fall of 2024, I had the honor of participating in the 3rd iteration of the Womxnhouse Detroit residency.
Inspired by the original Womanhouse Installation by Judy Chicago and Miriam Shapiro on 1972, Womxnhouse Detroit is an artist residency and exhibition supporting BIPOC, women, and nonbinary (Womxn) artists. Each cohort at Womxnhouse turns a residential home into an interactive installation.
About the Installation
For my contribution to Womxnhouse 2024, I chose a bedroom.
At the heart of Bedroom Divine, Reclamation Be Thy Name is the concept of the bedroom as a dual space: one of spiritual reflection and prayer, but also of pleasure, exploration, and identity reclamation. This installation delves into the complex relationship between LGBTQ+ identity and religious expectation, illustrating how the bedroom can serve as both a sanctuary and a site of conflict in navigating gender, sexuality, and faith.
The installation utilizes symbols such as circles, holograms, and rainbows, layering dual meanings and tension throughout the space. Symbols like the rainbow resonate with both LGBTQ+ culture and Biblical contexts, while the use of colors like black, white, and red are subverted from their religious meanings. The use of 90s and early 2000s ephemera, including WWJD bracelets and a CRT TV, serves as a nostalgic reference to my closeted adolescence, juxtaposing religious artifacts with personal narratives. Handwritten stories, in white and red ink and holographic vinyl, weave tales of conflict and reconciliation between spirituality and queerness.
Install Images &
Virtual Tour
Divinity in Queeress
Photographs of my LGBTQ+ friends, neighbors, and community members are also included in Bedroom Divine, Reclamation Be Thy Name. These photographs not only sanctify their journeys of embracing identity amidst religious frameworks but are also a thank-you to those in my life who, by living their lives authentically, inspire me to do the same. Each portrait, made in collaboration with the sitter, includes a holographic halo, signifying divinity in queerness.
Performances
White As Snow? (Never Enough)
This performance draws on the symbols and aesthetics of a 90s and early 2000s Christian upbringing, a time when morality was simplified into catchy slogans and rituals that promised salvation.
"White as Snow" was a common object lesson in churches that illustrates the cleansing of sin through Christ’s sacrifice. Using water, iodine, and bleach, the trick creates a visual metaphor for redemption and purity.In this performance, the "White as Snow" trick is repeated endlessly, each cycle building on the last until the vessels overflow.
This repetition underscores a sense of futility—the persistent striving to erase imperfection, only for the stain to remain, reappear, or feel inescapable. Through this act, I explore the tension between faith and identity, redemption and rejection, and the haunting impossibility of achieving perfection.
Love/Healing/Sunlight/Nature/Serenity/Spirit (Baptism)
This performance offers a counterpoint to the relentless striving for absolution explored in my "White as Snow" performance. The act begins with the creation of a rainbow, as clear water seemingly transforms into vibrant colors, each glass contributing to a luminous spectrum. Once complete, the ritual culminates in a self-baptism: the rainbow-colored water is poured over my body, saturating me in the colors of LGBTQ+ pride.
The circular frame, reminiscent of a halo, queers the traditional religious iconography, reframing it to honor the sacredness of authenticity and love. The rainbow, a universal symbol of hope and diversity, becomes an act of defiance against shame and a declaration of joy.