Graduate Project

Altar states: spirit worlds and transformational experiences

Altar States: Spirit Worlds and Transformational Experiences, publicly displayed during the Vernal Equinox at Valene L. Smith Museum of Anthropology at CSU Chico in California, is an interactive tech-art exhibition that features visionary imagery, illuminated sculptures, and a 24-minute soundscape journey. The installation explores themes of symbolism, interconnectedness, cross-pollination, worldview paradigm shift, and transformation. The written portion of the Master’s project maps a multidisciplinary investigation of Transformational Festival culture through ethnographic fieldwork in North, Central, and South America. Visionary art is a portal into the visual feeling of presence from the artist to the viewer. The conceptual seed of Altar States originated with the intention to create a container for the transmission of the visionary experience. The installation, set within a cycling 24-minute day/night soundscape, draws upon polarities in the Light of Day with stereoscopic 3D glasses and in the Light of Night under UV blacklights, attempting to evoke new perspectives in the viewer. By exploring the intersection between art and technology, within the context of exhibition, Altar States intends to bridge ancient and futuristic, secular and sacred, imaginary and experiential.

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