The series documents the rites of Haiti. Often misunderstood and maligned, Haitian Vodou is ancestral worship that provides a living connection with the psychic heritage of a people and a place torn apart during the colonial slave trade. The inheritance of these ancestral spirits provides the foundation for Haitian Vodou. Spirit is not seen as a vague, mystical evanescence, but rather intelligence, energy, a repository of moral knowledge. Rituals of birth, initiation, death and sacrifice are theatrically performed. The spiritual principles behind these rites are rekindled through this sacred performance. In my own work, I was not documenting a particular religion, but instead the great depth of cathartic human emotion possible in its desire for transcendence. For the devotional ceremonies and rites are always in measure to the difficult existence found in Haiti. In this way, Vodou is an act of affirmation in the face of hellish adversity. The vital spirit of this religion has lasted centuries of persecution and defines the human foundation that is left when almost everything else has been taken. It is my intention to bring this strength to light.
