95 spirit tablets for longevity (documentation — showing a few of 95 total wooden spirit tablets, Live Oak Park, Berkeley CA), 2020. Mixed media on reclaimed pallet wood; dimensions variable.
This work was an outdoor installation commissioned through the Berkeley Pathways project, a collaboration between the Berkeley Path Wanderers Association and creative consultancy PEAK86. The work was installed on Berryman Path in Live Oak Park, Berkeley CA, from September 1-30, 2020.
For this installation, I made 95 'spirit tablets' out of reclaimed wood pallet boards, in a reference to the global systems of trade and commerce that evolved from the first colonial conquests, and which have been ravaging the environment since the latter half of the 20th century. Varying in size, I have made each tablet as an homage to one of the 95 native California plants in Alameda County that is currently listed as endangered or threatened by the California Native Plant Society. (This data comes from the California Native Plant Society Rare Plants Inventory.) One side depicts a drawing of the plant, based on documentation gleaned from the CNPS database, as well as the UC Berkeley University and Jepson Herbaria. The other side contains the following handwritten inscription: Hello. We are in xučyun (Huichin), in unceded Chochenyo Ohlone territory. I am often called [Scientific name + Common name] but maybe one of you knows my real name...
Originating in China, wooden 'spirit tablets' have been used in various East Asian traditions for centuries to ritually venerate and give thanks to deities. By acting as effigies for these beings — who could be ancestors, local gods, or more powerful entities — spirit tablets provide a conduit through which a supplicant may transmit their respect and gratitude in exchange for blessings or protection. Often located in temples or roadside shrines, I perceive spirit tablets as a way to not only honor the local deities of a place, but also to extend their 'lives.'