Artifacts of Fire and Brimstone
Inspired by a carved stone mace head from Bâb Edh-Dhrâ, an Early Bronze Age city excavated near the Dead Sea and a proposed site of the biblical city of Sodom, I cast a fictional handle for this relic in solid bronze and applied a sulphur patina to reclaim fire and brimstone as agents of change. This collection of artifacts from Sodom and Gomorrah both ancient and present reimagines the story as one of queer escape, protection, and the transcendent landscape of the Dead Sea as inspiration for re-building futures. Excavating multifaceted perspectives as a guide for future survival, I sought material applications that engage with the geology of leaving, gaining strength from the transparency of attachments, the fiery bronze-casting process in its early years, and queer histories lost in time.
Made for The Temporary Institute of Early Art at Pancake House Minneapolis in partnership with the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library.
