INTERSECTING VISIONS:
a ceramic exploration into the sacred heritage of Hawaii and Poland
The natural world has always held an intense and provocative mystery to me. This show is about finding connections between vastly different worlds, and understanding what it means to be human in a natural world.
Over 1,000 years ago, Christianity overthrew the animistic Polish gods, and even though it was supposed to be a complete take-over, there remain very old traditions nationally to this day. One tradition, when school children prepare a old doll, representing the winter goddess, that must be burned and thrown into water so that in the new spring she can be reborn, or also how certain saint’s days have very unique customs tied to them that for sure have nothing to do with the saint that they are attributed to.
Hawaiian society has a culture full of gratitude and ceremony that should be taken account of at every task that one does. The world is full of sacredness and spirits that can help or hinder if called upon the right or wrong way. Each moment is one which is spent understanding what is around, eternal awareness keeps you connected to the natural realm.
In Poland, the world was also full of these good and bad spirits. The sacredness of the natural world was reflected in oaths that one would swear on the sun for them to be the most binding, or that the Earth could not be cut or spit upon before the first planting, because the Earth’s time to soon be impregnated with new life made her especially sacred and honored.
1,000 years ago, Poland was very much a warring society, and the temples were mainly inhabited by gods of war. In Hawaiian society it is much easier to trace all the details, because what exists today still a living continuation of the past. What is presented here is just a small personal investigation of a large amount of books and information from different sources. It is a narrow view of worlds that I barely even have stepped into, but I want to invite you to see a sliver a world where everything is full of life and we are all taking part.
KIMBA FRANCES KERNER 