No Chain Binds The Soul
Artist: Theda Sandiford
Title: No Chain Binds The Soul
Attribution: No Chain Binds the Soul, Theda Sandiford
Year: 2024
Materials: Recovered marine line, sea tumbled, woven and knotted with eyelash yarn, fabric, acrylic yarn , deconstructed line, beads, bells and shells.
Dimensions: 66 x 24 x 10 in
Image Statement: This work bears witness to the unseen threads that connect the past, present, and future—an exploration of memory, magic, and spiritual protection, all woven into the fabric of life itself. Using marine debris collected from beaches in the aftermath of hurricanes, alongside conjure bags and objects such as locs of hair, beads, shells, and hearing aid batteries, I create sacred vessels that bridge the realms of the living and the dead. Each rope I craft holds the memories of those who came before us, serving as spiritual offerings of protection and strength. These ropes act as conduits of ancestral wisdom and power, stretching beyond the physical world and touching the divine. They provide both refuge and release, carrying the weight of histories that are often forgotten but forever present. The conjure bags, filled with materials both organic and industrial, embody the meeting point of the sacred and the mundane. Ordinary objects transform into tools for spiritual healing and transformation. The hearing aid batteries amplify silenced voices—the cries of those lost to the sea during the Atlantic slave trade, whose spirits still call out from beneath the waves, seeking freedom and release. This work engages in a dialogue between time and space, between earth and water, life and death. It reflects on the trauma of displacement, the resilience of the spirit, and the profound connection to the ancestors. By honoring the water graves of those who perished, I seek to offer renewal and release, allowing their spirits to rise and be untangled from the pains of the past. Through my art, I hope to remind us that no matter how deeply buried or forgotten, the souls of the departed continue to shape our collective consciousness. Their stories live on in every knot, every thread, and every conjured object—a powerful reminder that the past is not gone, but woven into the very fabric of who we are.