Title: Mari Lwyd costume
Date: Fall 2023
Media: Paper mache, acrylic paint, wood, textile
Dimensions: Skull 11” x 10” x 17”

I am fascinated by British folk horror films set in the countryside, where rural villagers engage in strange agricultural rituals that seem part pagan and part Christian. 

This costume honors an actual revived folk tradition. The Welsh Mari Lywd is a mischievous Christmas custom where each villager’s home is visited by a costumed skeletal horse. The homeowner must answer a set of riddles and outsmart the horse spirit to prevent it from entering the home and stealing the holiday feast.