Chandra Williams-Lamp
ART- BA
Birch Woman, 2021, plaster, wax, cloth, papier mâché, 7 x 2.5 x 8 inches
This work combines elements of a birch tree with the female form. Processes include life casting, bark rubbings, and papier mâché. Indigenous cultures in Northern America and Europe honor the birch as a symbol of resilience, renewal, and protection. The multifaceted medicinal properties of the birch reflect resilience: cleansing bodies and regenerating damaged landscapes. Norse and Celtic mythologies associate the birch tree with the female spirit, one of resilience and regeneration. Our social and physical landscape, ravaged by capitalism and patriarchy, requires the harnessing of female energies embodied by the birch in order to heal. This work propagates that sentiment.