The Origin of Love is a song from the musical and film, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, which is about a misunderstood and passionately vocal transgender singer-songwriter-performer extraordinaire, Hedwig. The song played often while I made this piece and that is in part why I named it this, realizing that it holds poetic meaning for the city of Detroit.
The song is about separation and longing after a tumultuous split. You can read the lyrics & hear the song here.
Receiving the 7 foot door from Home Depot was a monstrous metaphorical introduction to Detroit for me: it was huge. At the time I was still driving my 1998 Black Volvo v70 wagon--and in order for the door to fit, it hung out the back--and over my head. I was worried the entire time driving home and once there, worried it would even fit in our basement. It did fit--if it was leaned between ceiling rafters.
14 feet of painted surface--that's what this door has become. It took months. Donna Jackson would apologize to us (artists) for extending the deadline and I'd (i bet all of us) be saying a Hail Mary because. The door always felt like it could be worked on--there was always room for improvement--this too is a metaphor for Detroit. Even moments before it joined all of the other doors, I was outlining or highlighting something, drilling a hole here or attaching string there. This door helped me fall in love with Detroit--because I didn't understand it--but while I worked on it I thought only of it--and felt its raw emotion and powerful faith.
The Origin of Love: Detroit's Spirit Tree was made within my Spirit Tree collection, which consists only of other trees made of watercolor paint and ink on heavy-weight paper. Detroit's Spirit Tree is the only tree I have created using another medium with other materials.Spirit Trees is a project about wishing wellness unto others. Each tree represents a person or people or place as well as his or her or their or its -- Growth. While creating the tree I think of the person/people/place and imagine their past, present and future histories. I pray for them by wishing them vibrancy, goodness, health and Love.
Detroit's Spirit Tree has continuous layers baked in vibrancy--and has a portal to connect it to its other side--The Origin of Love: Detroit's Wheel of Fortune.