242 pearls for 242 days

242 pearls for 242 days, during which I cared for my grandmother. The experience of life and the subsequent period of mourning resembles a string of pearls to me. An endless cycle marked by repetitive or meditative beads and mnemonic rituals of grief and solace.

Each bead of the prayer beads is made from ashes, symbolising grief, but also cleansing and new beginnings. The mourning ritual begins hesitantly and becomes increasingly certain. The ash beads are crushed in the hand until only dust remains.

The work consists of a prayer bead necklace of 242 ash beads and a performance (video) that depicts my ritual of mourning and renewal. In the performance, the ash beads are gradually crushed until they turn to dust, leaving only the thread on which they were strung. The backdrop is a bedsheet that belonged to my grandmother.

*Winner of the Silver Spur - the organizers special award for creative curage and uncompromising attitude from the Legnica Silver Festival "empathy".

*Photos are from the Gallery of Art in Legnica archive.