Talking about Tabiji
The Advent Tabiji Eggshells were presented at EvergreenLA on December 18th, 2022. This was the first time I had the opportunity to talk about them and also show them in person. Terrifically exciting!
Tabiji means “journey through” in Japanese.
The Tabiji Eggshells speak of the times we can’t even find all the shattered pieces of our lives and wonder if there will ever be repair. They offer hope and beauty right in the middle of all we do not know. Here, our jagged edges are seen, known and held. Here, God’s touch leaves a trail of gold, naming our brokenness holy, in whatever darkness we are journeying through. Through art, I offer an invitation that honors the pain - and the hope it won't always be that way.
The Advent Tabiji Eggshells were presented on white unbleached linen in acrylic boxes, placed on the blue velvet light scarf.
I love the darkness of Advent. The deep blue, starry outsides of the Advent Tabiji Eggshells express the presence of God in the night. God has met me - and continues to meet me - in seasons of night. I have known God's goodness to me there in a completely different way than what I see in the light. There’s treasure there, if I can lean in and notice.
The brokenness of the eggshells reflect the grief and loss we don’t choose but that sometimes chooses us. In the space of the empty shells, the 4 words of Advent are suspended - Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. These cast shadows of safety into each eggshell - and into our lives. If God is everywhere, then he is in the dark too, ahead of us. And wherever God is, there is good.
The words are made of thread, glue and paint. The texture matches the rough edge of the eggshell, which anchors each letter.
Or maybe it’s the letters that anchor the eggshell?
The 4 works are presented in person on beds of broken eggshells representing the places where we feel crushed and splintered. God meets us there, saying “Come”, gathering us up and in, holding us tenderly. Here in the holiness of night there is safety and so very much love.
For me.
For you.
For us all.
WATCH: EvergreenLA on 12/18/22 18:34 - 22:12