PARAFICTIONAL VANITAS
COLLABORATORS: KUTAN AYATA, KAJ MARSHALL
We identified our original object as a oil lamp of sorts, where a liquid is held within the large orb, suspended by a stem and rotational system, with a singular spouting arm holding a wick that runs back into the oil vessel. After this preliminary examination, we sought after morphing this elaborate, yet simple object into a more elaborate and strange possession. Using the collection of objects surrounding it, that were seemingly worldly valuables of a traveler, as well as objects that alluded to mortality and darkness such as the samurai sword and skull, we crafted a narrative around a sacrificial relic.
In our proposed narrative, the ivory vessel of this new object was used to hold a poisonous liquid that was used in a ceremony when a dying, ancient king or ruler was too sick and unfit to continue his role. In this historical instance, in order to pass the throne onto the next king, they would use this object to ceremonially pass them onto the next world. Suspended above the dying ruler by four high-ranking officials, grabbing each leg with equal force, the object’s sharp, needle-like spout at the bottom would be dropped by releasing tension on the legs, administering the poison and passing the sick ruler into the next life. This ancient practice was accompanied with altered histories and texts that articulate the object’s use, relevance and misuse throughout human history.