Message in a Bottle

‘The Spirit in the Bottle’ reflects a universal theme of an essence, relic or spirit contained in a vessel. Pitt Rivers Museum famously holds a bottle (swipe to see) said to contain a witch, who if let out will cause ‘a peck of trouble.’ Reliquaries (the foot of Mary Magdalen) carry the remains of saints, conferring miracles and blessings. Canopic jars preserve vital organs. ‘The Spirit in the Bottle’ is a fairytale from the Brothers Grimm, a European variant of the genie or djinn in a bottle. My #glass vessels are for other folk’s contents and stories. When I was little, my grandmother had a bottle of holy water from Lourdes that fascinated me, a transparent, figure of Mary with a blue and gold crown for a lid. I had an experimental drink from it when nobody was around and was disappointed not to experience anything miraculous.