The Honeycomb of Memory
The Honeycomb of Memory is a ritual performance dedicated to my mother who suffers from Schizophrenia and severe alcoholism. This ritual is a meditation on the struggle of a mother daughter relationship and liberating the self from the conformist nature of society’s hive mind.
Back story
In May 2025, I begin writing about the impact of being the child of a mother who suffered from schizophrenia — a woman who self-medicated with excessive amounts of beers, pills, cigarettes and who severely injured herself and nearly died multiple times.
Her story, and the reality she continues to inhabit, became too difficult for me to carry alone. So I returned to what I did as a child to cope with the stress: I sat down and draw.
In June 2025, I picked up my film camera and went back home to photograph my mother. I began documenting everything unfolding around me — a swarm of bees landing in my trash can, my mother’s addiction and bottomless mess, and moments of perfect reverence between us. Before my eyes, decay and sacredness coexisted and I realized there was little I could do to change anything so, I wrote my story.
The Honeycomb of Memory is an allegory of the Dark Mother and an exploration of the living, somatic memory of one of my deepest wounds. The creation of this ritual was one of the most profound experiences of my life. Through the process, I was not only able to transform one of my biggest life lessons into art, but I also fulfilled a dream I had carried since childhood: to become a costume designer.
I was given the rare opportunity to live inside my imagination—to see my drawings transformed into tangible forms, to watch fantasy become reality.
On February 16, 2026, I received the exciting news that my ritual, 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑯𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒚𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒃 𝒐𝒇 𝑴𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒚, had been selected for the May 2026 production of Anima: Theater of the Feminine Underground. Over the following weeks, an ensemble of twelve gathered around the vision, and on April 4, we began meeting at Yoga Soup, returning every Saturday to weave together movement, memory, and trust to form this ritual. We documented our journey, recording each rehearsal all the way through our dress and tech rehearsals that ushered in opening night. This making of video captures early sketches, ceremonial couture made from discarded materials, face painting, and the many joyful memories we shared together. I am honored to say that we co-created this ritual with love, care, and reverence for one another.
The Honeycomb of Memory premiered with Anima: Theater of the Feminine Underground at Center Stage in Santa Barbara and was a SOLD-OUT show performed on May 14 and 15, 2025.