The Bloody Key, pt2
The idea to create a representation of the bloody key has been swirling in my mind for some time, and earlier this summer it was time for it to be born.
This piece was a work of rough improvisation. The original sparkle that helped spark this idea was a broken necklace of red glass beads that was in one of the button tins I inherited from my matrilineal line: a strata of buttons, pins, shoe clips, broken jewelry, little this-and-thats spanning the decades. Little things I’ll never know anything about. Why were they saved? Why were they special? Or even, what the heck is this thing? I wanted to give the broken necklace new life and everything else came together around it. An old friend gave me this lovely key, and some of the beads (including the evil eye bead) came from a bracelet given to me by another dear friend.
In my typical way, I spent a large chunk of time obsessively researching beading patterns and techniques before feeling like I had all the information I was going to get without actually going for it, and struck out on my own path. I had a general idea of what I was after, but no specific pattern, and allowing “mistakes” to be made and then to morph into part of the design was a freeing experience—and dang it if that’s not just a lesson of life right there.
The way the currents have been pulling me, I am feeling like I’m going to be (continuing?) writing about grief a lot. Making this piece, in a way, was an act of grieving. Using candles to photograph it tonight felt shrine-like. A remembrance. A prayer.
•*•*•
I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry
[how would things change if we viewed our responsibility collectively?
if we let go of the desperate work of trying to absolve ourselves of guilt, and simply acknowledged that there has been a failing of humanity.
and we, as members of humanity, all bear responsibility for each other]
May we all be seen and known as we truly are. And may this happen while we are still alive.
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