Katalina Barrera

"A Pocket Full of Posies" began with walks through cemeteries, where I collected stray flowers along the way. Throughout history, flowers have served not only to comfort the grieving but also to facilitate the spiritual journey of the deceased. Marigolds, for example, are cherished for their ability to guide souls from their burial grounds to their family homes, while the Blue Lotus, often found in ancient Egyptian tombs, symbolizes rebirth. The white lily represents the innocence restored to the departed soul. These small death bouquets were immediately transformed into lumen prints and rephotographed as Polaroids. I then draped emulsion transfers over selenite crystal plates, collaging these pieces together on a hexagonal selenite base, mimicking the delicate structure of flower petals. The use of multiple photographic processes reflects the layered spiritual journey a soul undertakes in the afterlife, as well as the complexities inherent in the grieving process. The collaged lumen flowers are interwoven with esoteric imagery, often drawn from symbols I encounter in cemeteries on tombstones. What began as simple flora evolved into individual beings, each with its own distinct past and divergent future in death. These flowers, now imbued with meaning, became metaphors for the living, the dead, and the spaces of letting go in between.