In making this costume, Divya took as a starting point Rae-Yen’s thinking around imagined futures and worlds that centre multispecies collaboration, and ancestral mythologies~knowledges. These ideas were channelled through Rae-Yen’s and Divya’s shared references to ceremonial garments, talismans, and ancient cartographies of the sacred body, common across Asian cultures. The costume – made from fabrics inherited from Rae-Yen’s grandmother, canvas repurposed from the body of Rae-Yen’s installation ▷▥◉▻ (2021), and embellished with metal and earth jewels crafted by Divya with her mother, Vibha – has emerged as a kind of soft suit of armour. Protected by ancestors, it is intended for a peaceful and curious observer of alternative and distant worlds, in search of kin. For the duration of this exhibition, the costume will either hang or be worn by Rae-Yen in the space.

Materials: A range of Rae-Yen Song’s inherited and repurposed fabrics (canvas, cotton, silk, polyester), brass, glazed ceramic.