“As she fell back into the Land Of Trust, The Crone Alchemist surrendered to the waves of cosmic intuition. A creature who shape shifts into a butterfly by day and a wise old alchemist by night. She is an earthly force who lives in between air and space, weaving her wisdom into potions of healing that carry the stories of her land.” -rs

My project began with the intention of exploring the power of love's wisdom through the practice of weaving. The repetitive act of weaving created a path where the movement of my body and the stillness of my mind met as one and led me to question what is ritual? And what is my story? I gravitated towards Celtic mythology and folklore as a source of inspiration and knowledge. I then embarked on a journey to reclaim my 'mythic feminine' and goddess heritage. With nothing but intuition and creative curiosity, my project started to unfold a mythological narrative which allowed my objects to sit in a fictional world that intertwined with reality. For my final outcome, I created a mythical apron made from various potions of agar bioplastic. As my journey continued, my inner Goddess began to metamorphose into the archetype of the old wise woman or also known as The Crone Alchemist. She holds the power of age and time, of retribution and of transformation. She is the guardian and protector of the land and carries her ancient tales throughout time. She is the divine hag, a symbol of birth and death that lives amongst us all. She is as real as you and I, the only difference is that we can't see her. By embodying the wisdom of The Crone Alchemist, I was able to reside in animism to teach me unconventional ways of costume design. This allowed my final outcome to be born from the land in which I live in and shift my project from a place of discovery to a place of completion.

rachelpiastewart@gmail.com

@rachestewart