Polished brass site-specific installations
Võluõied, väevarred I & II
at Magdaleena Healthcare Centre.
Completed in May 2023
Dimensions 5 x 4,8 x 3 m and 4,4 x 5,2 x 3 m
It is said that Estonians are a people of forests and nature, and folk medicine has had an essential place in our folklore since ancient times. Every family has a herbal tea or herb in their kitchen cupboard, which often relieves the first cough or symptom of illness. Also, magical power has been attributed to plants, and bunches and bundles collected from various plants have been used to apply plant magic.
“I believe from the bottom of my heart that powerful words unconsciously instill in people faith in healing and health improvement,”
- Marit Ilison
Marit llison has chosen seven well-known medicinal plants, whose mythological properties are attributed to them, in the bouquets that shine like sunbeams in the atriums, together forming an energy that strengthens and heals many diseases. These include Catnip, St. John’s wort, Stinging nettle, St. John’s wort, John’s wort, Lime blossom, and Marigold.
The name of the work, “Võluõied, vävarred” (Magical blooms, power branches), is inspired by the sound of the language and has the effect of the opening line of an old healing spell.
Photos by Tõnu Tunnel