Unit 2
🔘 Gallery 🔘 Inspiration 🔘 Research 🔘 Process
GALLERY
Jenny Jih/Pocoyo, Ethereal Herbal Invocation, 2024, exhibition record film
Ethereal Herbal Invocation (2024)Eco-printed fabric, tent, clay pool, plant tinctures, test tubes, pipette, cushion, projector
A sensorial journey, "Ethereal Herbal Invocation" weaves the tangible and transcendent, inviting communion with plant spirits.
Entering the tent becomes a gateway to a deeply personal, spiritual experience. Ethereal projections and resonant sounds bathe a clay pool of mystical waters. Participants embark on a ceremonial exploration of the four elements and ancient herbal wisdom.
Through an interactive ritual, participants encounter and smell magical herbs, integrating their mystical properties. These essences are then manifested by dropping them into the healing pool.
This installation features a tent filled with natural and spiritual elements, with a healing pool at its centre. The surrounding environment is enriched with an abundance of natural materials, including soil, moss, various plants, and branches, creating an immersive ecosystem within the tent. This living installation invites participants to reconnect deeply and intimately with nature.
The tent's fabric, eco-printed using plant imprints, gives it a natural and organic beauty, transforming it into a sanctuary that harmonises with its surroundings.
Inside the tent, a clay-made healing pool serves as the focal point. This pool is adorned with symbols, stones, and branches, each contributing to the overall sense of tranquillity and connection with nature. The pool's surface also acts as a dynamic canvas for projected videos, enhancing the meditative atmosphere and showcasing scenes that resonate with themes of healing, nature, and spiritual connection. The interplay of light and water creates a captivating interaction, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in the moment.
Surrounding the pool are four carefully prepared herbal tinctures: lavender, chamomile, marigold, and mugwort. Each tincture corresponds to one of the four classical alchemical elements—air, water, fire, and earth—adding symbolic meaning. Lavender, representing air, brings calm and clarity; chamomile, associated with water, offers soothing and restorative properties; marigold, linked to fire, embodies vitality and transformation; and mugwort, connected to earth, provides stability and grounding. The ambient music, inspired by these four elements, further enhances the holistic experience.
The tent's natural and spiritual atmosphere encourages participants to kneel before the healing pool, read the guidebook, and prepare for the upcoming ritual. It shows how the interactive ritual works, including chants for herbs and their magical properties as a guide for the audience.
Participants are invited to use test tubes and pipettes filled with the corresponding herbal essences, engaging in the ritual. This interactive element not only allows for personal involvement but also emphasises the importance of intention and focus in the healing process.
Through this multi-sensory experience, the installation offers viewers an opportunity to connect with the natural world and achieve healing. It is a space where nature and spirituality converge, creating a sanctuary of peace and rejuvenation.
Jenny Jih/Pocoyo, Ethereal Herbal Invocation, 2024, (exhibition view)