Ceremonial Pestle and Mortar

Hi Phill.
Very nice piece

Regards George

Philip, this is a very interesting piece.
Gil

Thanks George and Gil for your comments.

A short explanation of the piece may be helpful. I have been studying African works and in particular Fon sculpture for some time. Fon sculpture is based around the vodun cultures in West Africa and the ideas within the culture formed the basis for the more popularly known voodoo rituals and artefacts from Haiti and elsewhere. The popular impression gained from expressions/descriptions of voodoo in literature and films is far from the truth to be found in the original African context of practices which were potentially both threatening or benign. These practices could be seen as the equivalent of Western psychotherapy in the way it was used to explain or challenge things that affected everyday life.
I have taken parts of the philosophy, mixed it with other sources of reference to try to form objects of interest.
The symbols on the skull and beans come from Rudolf Kochs Book of signs. Here primitive symbols are shown that describe various aspects and phases of the cycle of life. Crushed in the pestle and mortar the resulting dust could represent all those experiences in life blended together as memories

I love it Philip as you know.

Just wonderful.

Mark