Celestial Lounge -

This piece that I’ve created deals with the idea of death and how one is able to cope with
the loss of a loved one. For this project I built a mausoleum shaped structure that also, coexists
as a nightclub for the deceased. Mounted on each wall I have 3 interacting animations that
display what is taking place in the nightclub. The animation consists of 3 characters. The first
character is the bouncer that stands in front of the celestial lounge who acts as a gatekeeper to
keep any disturbances from occurring within the space. The second character is an intruder who
has snuck his way into the space and has caused a disruption by running around and drinking
alcohol. The third character is the body of celestial beings that dance infinitely within the space.
The duration of the video is 3 minutes and 42 seconds. With the video is a playlist of music that
I’ve curated from my father’s iPod who recently passed in October 2016 of brain cancer. While creating this
work I was inspired by the rituals of different cultures and how they view death, with the most
significant being the Day of the Dead holiday which is celebrated in Mexican culture. This piece
can be looked at as an alter and viewers are invited to place objects or leave notes for their
departed loved ones. With this new work, I’m hoping to open up a discussion about how people
deal with loss as well as challenging the notion that death is something that should be looked
upon as sorrowful. In this space I wanted there to be a celebration of life for loved ones rather
than a mourning of death.