Power Figure
I created this Power Figure to protect my “village” from the evil and unstable powers in Washington D.C. This evil has been growing and gathering for years and in early 2017 demanded action. My Power Figure is rooted in figures made by the people of the Kongo civilization who used them to protect their villages from the Belgian Colonial Government. The Power Figure connects to the spiritual world or gains spiritual energy after being animated and empowered with organic material that is placed in a closed cavity in its belly. Each driven nail represents a request or contract with the Power Figure. The figure uses the spiritual energy in protection of the village. The creation and ritual of the Kongo people in using these figures empowered them to come together and maintain their sensibility and cultural identity. The Belgians outlawed and destroyed most the Power Figures in the colonies of the Kongo out of fear. This evident fear by the Colonial power and the resistant energy of the Kongo culture is what inspires me to call together my “village” to not let the injustices and lies of our current political powers take control.
A nail is driven into the figure with each request for protection or contract made by someone from the village. I will keep a log to document each one for the duration of the use of this figure.
I created this Power Figure to protect my “village” from the evil and unstable powers in Washington D.C. This evil has been growing and gathering for years and in early 2017 demanded action. My Power Figure is rooted in figures made by the people of the Kongo civilization who used them to protect their villages from the Belgian Colonial Government. The Power Figure connects to the spiritual world or gains spiritual energy after being animated and empowered with organic material that is placed in a closed cavity in its belly. Each driven nail represents a request or contract with the Power Figure. The figure uses the spiritual energy in protection of the village. The creation and ritual of the Kongo people in using these figures empowered them to come together and maintain their sensibility and cultural identity. The Belgians outlawed and destroyed most the Power Figures in the colonies of the Kongo out of fear. This evident fear by the Colonial power and the resistant energy of the Kongo culture is what inspires me to call together my “village” to not let the injustices and lies of our current political powers take control.
A nail is driven into the figure with each request for protection or contract made by someone from the village. I will keep a log to document each one for the duration of the use of this figure.