Research Catalogue

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Thesis of the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, 2023 - BA Photography 'Vessels of Home' is a 'Search for Belonging.' As more and more people feel disconnected from the world around them, finding belonging is no longer only a question of physical place, but of creating moments in an imaginative space. These moments of belonging are short-lived, they are hard to grasp and contain in our ever individualizing world. Yet, I believe they can be found and nurtured through conscious acts and rituals. Rowan Moonlion proposes various ways to cultivate moments of belonging, through stories contained in the vessels of Fire, Earth, Water and Air (Le Guin 2020). Firstly, in Fire, regarding human interactions: rejecting patriarchal and capitalist notions of group thinking, by letting go of identity definitions based on difference. Secondly, in Earth, considering nature: returning to our connection to the land, to understand the unifying power of interbeing. Thirdly, in Water, looking within our bodies: searching for sensorial experiences of belonging by making our bodies our homes. Finally, in Air, gazing in our minds and memories, imagining new worlds, holding stories together with our ancestors. Witchcraft and Earth honoring rituals are used as a framework to explain and exemplify the four proposed layers. 'Vessels of Home' combines academic research grounded in queer and feminist theory, conversations with witches and other lived experience stories, poetic reflections taken from Moonlion’s artistic practice, and practical tools like rituals, recipes and affirmations. Together the four layers of belonging and the four types of writing form a unifying whole. Moonlion urges you to connect to your own personal form of belonging, and hopes you will learn to understand the value of trying to live in harmony with all else on this Earth. The elements return again and again in a cyclical manner. The circle of life is ever present.

type	research exposition
keywords	belonging, witch, Jewish, spirituality, pagan, ritual
date	26/06/2023
last modified	26/06/2023
status	in review
share status	public
affiliation	Royal Academy of Art, The Hague
copyright	Rowan Aran Moonlion
license	CC BY-NC-ND
language	English
url	https://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/2218589/2218588

id	name	copyright	license
2218590	Vessels	copyright holder	CC BY-NC-ND
2218591	VesselsofHome	copyright holder	CC BY-NC-ND
2218592	media1	copyright holder	CC BY-NC-ND

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Vessels of Home: A Search for Belonging (last edited: 2023)

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