Transmutation
by
Swan Ferraro
Artist Statement
Transmutation by Swan Ferraro is an art installation comprising sculpture, ritual, and film dedicated to trans people, survivors, and sex workers. The sculpture is a collection of broken branches that were found on the ground, snapped and fallen from their trees. They have been lifted back up and suspended in the air, to sway in space. Their physical nature is honored by turning the branches into objects for healing rituals. Candles are attached to the branches, and when lit, the sculpture becomes activated as a tool for somatic bodywork.
Lighting candles is a symbol of the transmutation process: there is movement as the wax melts, drips, and solidifies into a new form. The candles drip onto those whose bodies are underneath the branches. Hot wax dripped onto skin can induce hyper-awareness, helping bodies release dissociation, gender dysphoria, and other unpleasant experiences. Painful sensations allow one to connect with the body, acting as a sensorial portal. This portal reminds us that bodies communicate and can collaborate to create new realities.
At the start of the process, participants are invited to set an intention for their body, such as liberation or love. Setting intentions and envisioning them in the body act as a form of divination. By ritualizing the body, any trauma that lives in the nervous system can be transmuted.
The transmutation ritual is filmed and projected inside the installation. It combines people patiently waiting for wax to drip onto their bodies with those making random movements in an improvised dance form that explores continuous touch. In this ritual, the individual body surrenders to the bodies of others. Through collectively and consensually stepping into hauntings, may we find the light.