These twelve reliquaries come together as a spiritual altar to my chronically ill body. A reliquary is a container for relics. Traditionally, relics are the alleged or actual physical remains of Catholic Saints, such as bones, pieces of clothing, or some object associated with the Saint. In this case, the relics are my physical blood and mucus: viscous liquids produced by chronic infection & inflammation, & expelled from my lungs on five different occasions. Using donated jewels from friends & family, & found glass bottles throughout New Orleans, I have painstakingly decorated each individual container to sanctify & canonize my body & the illness that renders her sick.

In opposition to those who believe illness causes a poor quality of life, these reliquaries venerate & celebrate my sick body to the pinnacle of saint-hood. Instead of conserving a “healthy” piece of myself, such as my hair, “diseased” remnants of my body are preserved, protected, & glorified for eternity.