“When I think of voodoo I think of spells and curses, or having your heart ripped out like in a bad horror movie. So when I was on my way to the Haitian voodoo exhibit at the Fowler Museum, I thought that I would see a lot of things that had to do with evil and black magic.
But, as I walked through the exhibit, there were things about voodoo that I never thought about. For example, I always thought that Vodou was a religion, but it could also be considered a culture since it does have the elements of both. Also, I found out that Haitians spell it “Vodou.”
I was surprised to see things like we use everyday like a bar of Dove soap, perfume, cloths, and jewelry on an altar for the Vodou spirit Ezili Freda, the goddess of love and luxury. Each god and goddess has its own favorite colors, foods, myths, songs, and even favorite brands of cigarettes.
Who would have known that there was history behind Vodou? I didn’t. The flags that the Haitian people make and use in a ceremony that is sort of like a parade. They make these glittering flags with sequins and beads that show soldiers on horses, and mother figures that look like Madonna—the saint, not the singer. During their rituals, dancers hold the flags in a re-enactment of the revolutions that began in 1791, when the African slaves successfully rebelled against their French masters. The flags often represent Vodou spirits.
Another thing that I did not expect was the inclusion of other cultures and religions in Vodou. Catholic, African and Masonic symbols are all widely used. For example, Madonna-like images represent female Vodou spirits.
“There is a human spirit at work with Vodou. There is a whole society that stands behind the visual presentation, both old and new,” said Dave Mayo, the designer at the Fowler museum. He said he’s worried that most people have the wrong idea about Vodou, and therefore might think the exhibit is evil. “The exhibit does show death, but it is not meant to be evil. To a Haitian, death means life, and the exhibit has both life and death in nature.”
He explains how they started on the project. In 1993, he and his assistants went to Port Au Prince, the capital of Haiti, for the first time to learn about Vodou and to be certain their exhibit would represent the real Vodou. “We met with a group of Haitians, presented our ideas, and had much sensitivity to the feedback that we received. The Haitians were very engaged and animated about the project.”
Then there were two years of intense production for the exhibit. During two more trips to Haiti, they had to gather materials to duplicate a temple, and collect paintings and sculptures from various artists, collectors and museums. They also shot videos of Vodou ceremonies and the making of a vèlè, which is a sand painting of symbols that help invoke Vodou spirits (see image at right).
It’s like producing a movie. First you have to think about the cost. Mayo and his assistants had to consider: How much would it cost to make a video about Vodou in Haiti? And how much would it cost for the “gifts” for the altars? How big should the display cases for the spirits be and what should they be made of? Where should the altars go? What kinds of things would an altar have? “One of the things that we had to do is to fly a priest from Haiti to make sure that the altars were perfect.”
“We also have to think about details. For example, how long the videos should be? After all, this project will travel across the country for several years. It’s more than just ‘Let’s put art in a show.’ It’s like a traveling rock n’ roll band,” said Mayo.
One of Mayo’s favorite parts of the exhibit is the Vodou temple, which reconstructs an actual Vodou room and ceremony. Tiny wooden chairs line the edge of the room. The walls are painted with images of the spirits. Three TVs show video footage with the sounds and sights of a Vodou ritual.
The floor itself is like packed dirt, decorated with a sand vèlè. Mayo said this was one of the toughest parts of the exhibit, because the Fowler has a hardwood floor, and he did not want to ruin it by putting dirt on it. An assistant thought of installing a thin layer of wood, and creating a dirtlike surface on top.
The man behind the exhibit design
Dave Mayo is the head of the design department of the UCLA Fowler Museum, which specializes in Mexican, Central American, African and South American art. Though his bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois is in sculpture, and he worked for several years as a sculptor, his job today combines art with the practical skills of a builder and architect. “The difference between an artist and a designer is that an artist works for himself while a designer works for other people.”
Mayo said, “I admit that I had a lot of stereotypes about voodoo. I thought that it was just a superstition, like European witchcraft. But when I got to know what Vodou was all about, I thought differently. Vodou to the Haitians is like doing anything in our everyday world. It’s an art.””