Alayna Wiley, ANIMATE OBJECTS
homeland lantern. quirky i., 2023
Handmade paper, steel fencing
14 x 7 x 16 inches
 
From the maker:
“The thesis of ANIMATE OBJECTS, is that all objects have life. This work is a submission to the afro-minguei cannon proposed by Theaster Gates which recognized this Japanese approach to form within black culture. ‘Mingei’ translates as folk art, or rather, the art of the people. The term ‘mingei’ was coined by Soetsu Yanagi, a craft collector in the wake of the Japanese industrial revolution. He posited that through the work of the mingei craftsperson, the divisions between art, philosophy, and religion merge. These works use phenomenological, spiritual and art historical support for the tenet that all objects live. Throughout the creation of with this lamp this spiritual belief is observed. May we recognize our one life and may we observe the sacred manifestation in all things.”