Nkisi Community art project

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Started by Sarah Rockett, Tammi Brazee, and Peter Yumi, this collaborative installation uses African Nkisi Nkondi statues as a point of departure.  The Nkisi statues record actions and resolutions, and can act as a guardian or avenger of the community when activated by a spiritual specialist with insertions (often nails, pegs, or blades).  The idea of recording community involvement and manifesting change is the main inspiration taken from Nkisi.  By creating our own power figure installation, our community, its hopes and actions, are manifested via the insertion of individually made ritual objects.  The main structure of the installation, built from wood and cinderblocks, houses a mass of objects made by over 30 different artists.  Artists were asked to create a form(s) that is representative of their perspective communities.  In addition, artists submitted a single sentence describing the resolution, action, or manifestation that they want the object to affect in their community.  It is our hope that The Nkisi Project continues to grow, evolve, and travel as a means for manifesting and connecting many creative communities.WP_20141209_058_sm