Illuminating the darkest and quietest part of the night – the witching hour – when the veil to the physical and spiritual realms are at its thinnest, The Umbra unites the living with the ethereal through shadowing the navigation of an occurrence of astral travel between an adolescent woman and a young spirit brought to physicality, in a spiritual reflection of the physical world – an ‘in-between’ realm existing alongside yet separate from the material world. The ‘in-between’, a space operating on multiple frequencies, where spirits linger and the mind and body shift into a state that tethers life, death, and afterlife together as one – reveals the unbroken link of communication between the two states and their coming together.
The Umbra centres female power and strength in reference to elements of the horror genre that is often focused on women’s psychosis. The Indigenous female body is employed as a vessel to carry a present-day practice of magic and spirituality – descending from many millennia of spiritual practices. As the protagonist’s commanding character remains cognisant of her task, she carries herself meditatively through the all-too-well-known domestic space with confidence, acutely aware of her surroundings – physically and psychologically – openly and unafraid.
Commissioned by RISING: Melbourne for Shadow Spirit, an exhibition curated by Kimberley Moulton and produced by RISING: Melbourne. Co-commissioned by Illuminate Adelaide.
