Black Feather Shraddh
Gathering, Rital
Shraddh is a South Asian, ancient ritual to honour and provide spiritual sustenance to the life and death of those loved ones around us, ensuring their well-being in the afterlife.
Across four small spiced dishes attuned to senses of grief, we will meet and embody - Clove, Turmeric, Chilli and Cinnamon - asking: How do we metabolise, swallow and meet the numb, sharp, fiery and sweet? What dialogues are our emotional and physical entrails having with the ones around us?
Over shared gratitude and conversations we formed our prashad/offerings (Pinda Dhanam) and placed them onto our leftover banana leaves, laid down as part of a mala (prayer bead) - designed for the crows of the cemetery to eat - reacting as conduits for the souls of our loved ones in the afterlife.
The following day I opened the chapel and found our prayers and their leafy seats had been demolished - a sign they were received well by the winged messengers above.