Honor Thy Mother

Honor Thy Mother is a 7.5ft tall x 6ft wide x 7ft deep interactive booth. Enclosing the viewer with red velvet curtains on four sides, inside the booth is a hand-beaded kneeler facing a large dye-sublimation printed fabric panel depicting a portrait of the artist’s mother. An audio track of Gregorian chanting mixed with the sound of the artist praying in Vietnamese is heard within the booth. The portrait panel has hand-beaded and sequined details. Between the viewer and the portrait are panels of sheer and beaded curtains composed of rosary beads, iridescent gems, and Catholic paraphernalia. The kneeler is used during the sacrament of confession within the Catholic faith. One kneels in prayer while confessing their sins to a priest, who through the power of God, can absolve their sins. When kneeling to “honor” the artist’s mother, one will be immediately uncomfortable or in pain due to the beading on the kneeler pad. The imagery on the kneeler is the artist’s heart in the style of the Sacred Heart. The artist’s mother is depicted like a religious icon, with gold beaded accents. She is elevated and literally unreachable; the beaded curtains of religious items creating a barrier between the participant and the portrait.