P001 → Shamemail, ongoing
Rites and Rituals, 2024
Iron wire, limpet shell, sea glass, rock, moss
Photos taken by Yin Mei at the James Black Gallery in 2024
Medicine bag on cairn, 2024
Yarn, iron wire, wool, raspberry leaves, valerian, black haw, cramp bark, dandelion roots, red clover petals, rocks, sea heather
Photos taken by Yin Mei at the James Black Gallery in 2024
Z-rod (a warrior’s death), 2024
Yarn, iron wire, twig
Photos taken by Yin Mei at the James Black Gallery in 2024
Shamemail is an ongoing project researching Iron Age pre-Christian Brittonic and Norse material culture, symbolism, folklore, cosmology, and medicine. Specifically interested in the cultures constructing Smith’s heritage, this project aims to better understand and cope with experiences of medical and intergenerational trauma. As a queer disabled non-binary settler, they engage in making hand-crafted objects, performances, stone installations, and videos that explore how an ancient version of themselves might cope with the curses they were given. Connecting with an ancient version of themselves through historically inspired objects uncovers new ways of healing.