Mundus Transfiguratus
Towards a Queer Ecological Mythology
Mundus Transfiguratus depicts an alternative living mythological world where queer transmogrified beings take centre stage and challenge the established perception of human supremacy. The installations and performances that form part of this project emerge as an experimental participatory psychodrama with a counter narrative interwoven with fiction and reality, legends and biographies, to explore conflict, displacement and trauma, but also to celebrate hope and love, and overcoming adversity.
Part 1. The Journeys of Cliza
Cliza @ Villa Borghese
Cliza, a warrior and a descendant of Turiacus, roams through the Villa Borghese at night, seeking other warriors to form her own House.
The Occupation
Having founded their own House, Cliza and their warriors occupy the library at the British School at Rome.
Resin on ancient marble pedestal (by courtesy of BSR), 40 cm x 5 cm, 2022.
Resin on ancient marble pedestal (by courtesy of BSR), 40 cm x 5 cm, 2022.
Richard Lassel, The Voyage of Italy, 1670 (by courtesy of BSR).
Resin on ancient marble pedestal (by courtesy of BSR), 40 cm x 5 cm, 2022.
Preparation for Battle
In preparation for battle, Cliza and their retinue set up an itinerant court in the subterranean bowels of Cosmo Trastevere, in Rome.
Reel By Cosmo Trastevere
The Banquet
At the battle of Transterrum, Oretta, a descendant of Triton and the head of the House with their namesake, defeats the House of Cliza. To celebrate their victory, Oretta hosts a banquet in Rome. The heads of other houses from neighbouring lands attend the celebrations. But Cliza, who was presumed dead, storms the event with their warriors and murders Oretta and the other dignitaries.
After the Banquet, the Oracle visits Oretta and prophesies their death:
You are a flower
You are a red flower
You are a red flower full of love
You are a red flower in a lake of blood
You are no longer
You are no longer here
You are no longer now
You are no longer tomorrow
There is flower
There is lake
There is love
There is blood
But there is no longer you
Karlota's Journey
After murdering Oretta and the other dignitaries, Cliza sets off to lay claim to the lands of those they slaughtered and travels first to the lands of Karlota, a descendant of Odin and head of the House of Karlota. However, Karlota survived the attack and speedily returns to their queerdom. Who will prevail?
Part 2. The Queerdom of Brightwyna
Behold the Warriors of the Queerdom of Brightwyna
Over the course of many centuries, Brightwyna has built and eclectic collection of votive statues; each imbued with stories, prayers, and forgotten intentions. Some are gifts from the souls they’ve shepherded into the next world, others were found buried in sunken gardens or beneath the roots of trees. Some appeared without explanation, left on their threshold in the dead of night. The collection lines the inner sanctum of Brightwyna’s home like a silent constellation of the lost, the loved, and the longing. There are four statues among the collection that are far more than devotional relics. These four are thought to have been destroyed long ago, their legends faded to myth, their power buried beneath centuries of war and suspicion. They were created by an unknown ancient sorcerer, with the aid of Arawn. Each statue was gifted to one of the four ruling Houses: Cliza, Oretta, Karlota, and Brightwyna, and they allow their owner to shape-shift into any living being they can imagine. The three statues belonging to the other Houses came into Brightwyna’s possession when an antique dealer sold Brightwyna a solid marble cube engraved with the stamp of Compostica, the goddess of composting and transmutation. Upon arrival at Brightwyna’s house, the cube spontaneously fractured and fell away like a crumbling husk, revealing the three statues nestled within.
Variable dimensions
Variable dimensions
Landscape Divinations
These conceptual paintings were born out of the symbiotic relationship between Brightwyna and their natural environment. In a performative dendromancy ritual, Brightwyna enters a trance state, drawing forth visions from the land itself. Using bark, leaves, petals, lichen, and sap, they scatter organic matter onto raw canvas. The materials fall, forming patterns that answer the questions Brightwyna dares to ask.
