Multimedia project ReMazu: Iterations of Devotion  chronicles the cyclical journeys of a deity named Mazu, a sea goddess and shaman who was first mythologized in Fujian in Southern China, later spreading to Taiwan, and Southeast Asia. Through research, writing and prototypiing, I reimagine Mazu as a contemporary queer deity, informed by the complexity of coastal diasporic identities, informed by a spiritual connection to the powers of water and a hunger for transformation. 

Building and animating a digital avatar in digital-ambient environments, the process of virtual production became a body-centering experience. Reflecting on this process, the film uses iterative calling to frame Mazu as an emotional reprogramming loop. Driven by the intense desire to be seen/heard/felt/held, the act of inviting her triggers the process of remothering, to create the safety needed to shield from the vioelnt forces of colonialism and Confucianist hetero-patriarchy.


Accompanying the film is a set of 3d-printed ritual devices. 8th Avenue in Brooklyn, where Fujianese and other diasporic communities reside. Partially procedurally-generated and inspired by daoist ceremonial vessels, they incorporate remixes of Mazu's reconfigurable digital body.  

These devotional vessels are imagined to absorb the power of affirmations, bodily rituals, and self-cultivation. They are designed to receive the signals sent out by the film, creating a feedback loop of healing, unblocking and recursive transformation. ReMazu stems from a need for a speculative spiritual practice.

Installation view of Homorientalism (2023), curated by Noor Bhangu at Smack Mellon. Image courtesy of Smack Mellon.
Photo by Etienne Frossard.

有求必应 (Your Desires Will be Answered), 2023
3d printed sculpture on motorized turntable, with acrylic paint and artificial beads
42 x 30 x 30 inches

Frolicking in ClitForest, 2023
3d printed sculpture on motorized turntable
28 x 10 x 10 inches