Joss paper or money paper is a custom to East Asia cultures. It is a paper custom used for burning at a funeral and ancestral ceremonies. These papers are often presented in golds, yellows papers, and are thin bamboo paper. Where some have images of Chinese characters for wishes, prayers, and longevity, and is burn for our ancestors in the afterlife.
" The burning of these papers is a custom with the symbolism of mourning, yet it also brings peace as I echo my prayers. To me, it is a healing process, as the papers are being burnt, it shows its amber glow — it almost feels as though I am releasing an ache. I kneel, slowly laying down the paper in a fire, a gesture of honouring our ancestors. "
When there is a death of a loved one, the only remnants of them are their images in our mind, and the traces they leave behind; these markings in a way are to tie up the visual imagery of my work. The prominent burnt marks and ashes that are mixed with wax represent a vestige of the human past. I wanted to research how memories are constructed, preserved, and restored within my culture. Over time, we maintained our traditions by commemorating those we’ve lost and kept an altar of deceased family members within our household. Then, I started to realize that this was how we remembered them.
