Laura Mecklenburger

The act of making can bridge levels of reality, touching the intangible, and literally enacting change. I make ritual vessels and tools, and the physical forms or remnants of spells, amulets, talismans, altars, and shrines. I create these to heal, to transform, to protect, to empower - for my own needs, those of my friends and loved ones, and for the service of larger communities. Rituals and magic provide depth to daily experience, language for the unspeakable, and actions in place of futility. I feel driven to be a conduit for my private experience of magic into a more accessible space, for those of all backgrounds and beliefs. Intricate, realistic representations of tree roots, fungi, and other living forms, as well as geological formations, dominate my imagery. Each brings its sympathetic power - to transform, heal, strengthen, and protect. I research each species or landscape in detail, and use it specifically for its role in the ecosystem, in medicine, and for its place in folklore or religion, as well as my own relationship with it. My work is also influenced by my animist world view and my Jewish background. It reflects my embeddedness in queer, activist, and neopagan communities, and my experience of chronic illness and chronic pain. Ritual objects and shrines are often assumed to belong to a distant global past despite being in common use worldwide, as part of religious and folk traditions. Ritual and folk magic are becoming a visible part of today’s political and social activism, and are well represented in contemporary fine art. I believe we need a syncretic, global, postcolonial redefinition of art, to better include objects and performances with a religious, spiritual or magical use. But most of all, I love making tangible magic, and sharing its power with others.
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