Alison Woods
Psychostasia 7 and 8
2019
Mixed media on paper, fabric, digital prints, chicken wire, string and trash
104 x 28 inches (approx.each)
Artist Statement:
Psychostasia (The Weighing of the Souls)
The weighing of souls (Ancient Greek: Psychostasia) is a metaphysical concept in which a person’s life is assessed by weighing their soul immediately before or after death, or alternatively on the battlefield to judge their fate
The concept of weighing to judge the fate of the deceased originated in ancient Egypt around 2,400 BC, where the deceased’s heart was weighed on a scale against a feather. The soul in Ancient Egypt was thought to be immortal; an eternal being whose stay on earth was only one part of a much larger and grander journey. This soul was said to consist of nine separate parts; the physical body, the double form, a bird form which traveled between earth and heaven, a shadow self, an immortal, transformed self, the heart source of both good and evil, and the soul name. An afterlife was denied those who were judged unworthy.
Native American tribes often believed in more than one human soul. The Atlantic Northeast tribes believed there was one soul that worked when the body was asleep and another soul that would leave the body after death. When the body was asleep, the dream soul would roam, often appearing as a light, and seek out guardian spirits. The other soul was located near the heart and was the individual’s animating force.
The Psychostasia project investigates the essence of the contemporary human soul within the context of its cultural identity.
Nominated by Dimitra Skandali
Watching Alison Woods’s transition from meticulous, rigorous and incredibly detailed two-dimensional work to these airy, light, loose, and ghost-like sculptures made of found materials certainly spoke to me in the first place! These loose and playful forms were first created in Greece for a site-specific project and have continuously evolved upon her return to her country.
The Psychostasia sculptural series also connect with me in a mystical and spiritual way:
I see ancient Greek columns as if they want to connect past and present.
I see fallen angels as if they want to remind me that our existence is in-between the physical and the metaphysical; that matter is not only what is seen right now, but it is the accumulation of what we carry through our time(s) on this earth.
I see spirits in co-existence with matter.
I see the in-between state of our beings, trying to realize the essence of our existence.
I see how ancient Egyptian and Greek histories are translated to pagan and contemporary religions, connecting us all with African, Native American, or Oriental memories as if we carry them all and as if everyone includes everyone at once.
I feel the moment when soul departs from the body taking it to other dimensions through light.
I wonder if my heart will ever be weighed on a scale against a feather and will be worshiping for an afterlife.