I chose the title "The Spirit House" with the idea that the spirit is housed by our physical body. Native American spirit houses were small structures used as a representational concept of covering the grave after a person died to house the spirit until it was released. 

 

Growing up I went to church every Sunday. When I was a little girl, I would frequently join my uncle when he preached at a revival or a tent meeting. I was captivated by his intensity and focus while preaching. He was a country preacher, bible-thumping, aisle-stomping, hands raised toward heaven.  It seemed as though he was overcome by another being, yet I fully recognized him and his gentle spirit. He did not preach all fire and brimstone but he certainly wanted the congregation to understand what he came to do. He came to deliver the message that you are loved by God. 

 

I always felt different when I sat in a pew. It was not only a seat in which to rest but a place to listen, kneel pray, participate and watch. It could also be a place of discomfort and conviction. 

My goal is not to recreate a church but to get viewers to seriously question why they worship, whatever or whomever that might be, and to gather thoughts about their spirituality. I'm choosing to alter the work by making it appear flashy because churches have historically been ornate in their design and over-the-top to signify importance and reverence. Today, some services seem to be a form of entertainment rather than focusing on the message at hand. We all worship something, be it work, fashion, sex, money, a deity, etc. 

 

I view the Spirit House as a body, a container for what is inside you. We are only here for a short time. What do you worship in your spirit house?