My Crystal Palace

My Crystal Palace grew out of childhood memories of attending New Age crystal fairs with my mother, where many semi-precious stones were sought after for their healing properties.

The project's name is a clin d’oeil to the original Crystal Palace, built in 1851 for the Great Exhibition in London, and its smaller replica in Montreal. The Montreal Crystal Palace hosted the 1860 Industrial Exhibition, showcasing agricultural and industrial products from North America as a symbol of British colonial power.

The scientific revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries challenged many long-held religious beliefs. Coupled with the trauma of the 2nd Industrial Revolution, laying the groundwork for alternative spiritual movements and holistic health trends like Mesmerism, Spiritualism, Theosophy and New Thought. In the 1970’s, these ideas were popularized by the counterculture and evolved into New Age practices - a commercialized manifestation of the earlier counterculture shift. Today, the US has a $1.8 trillion wellness economy and 2.3 billion is in the healing crystals.

Throughout my ongoing research on dowsing, I’ve developed a deep fascination towards these minerals of ethereal beauty hidden in the depths of the earth’s crevices. I’m interested in the crystals’ anthropomorphic healing qualities, and the hidden supply chain behind their shiny surface, including the murkiness of their origins, and the environmental and human impact around resource extraction in the name of healing.

My Crystal Palace proposes a revised vision of the world exhibitions, featuring sculptures of ‘’crystals’’ made with glass and sugar, two materials historically associated with personal and imperial wealth. Some of these gravity-defying pieces will float in midair, suspended above mirrors, allowing viewers to observe them from both above and below. Others will be displayed on plinths and shelves, creating an immersive installation. This project also serves as a personal reconciliation, an attempt to unpack my mother’s beliefs.