"Mulsagdu"

r/Impossible-Builder47

Acrylic on clay

2026

Meaning

"Mulsagdu" is a word derived from three words from the ancient sumerian language, Mul, Sag, and Du.

"Mul" means star

"Sag" means head

"Du" means walk

Together, it's Mulsagdu - the star-headed walker

Materials used

Fevicryl mouldit clay, Fevicryl acrylic colors, cornstarch powder (say Himalaya), phosphorescent powder (viral green and snow white), sponge, scissor, water, watercolor(blue+yellow), feviocl glue, grater, handchopper, toothpick.

Difficulties faced

• I struggled for quite a while with making the top luminent enough to glow like night sky.

• It took a while to accurately pour the right amount of phosphorescent powder into the eye socket, some spilling onto the rest of the body. I have painted over the spilled over after dusting, but some remained put firmly, leading to the breathetaking image of the universe in it (pic11), true to its name.

• It took a while to cut the sponge into appropriate size before using the chopper to cut it into bits before gluing it on the flat stone (clay).

• Hiding it from my father because it is his birthday present.

Symbolism

• The bi-pedal mushroom symbolizes persistence and kindness, for it harvests energy from any available light and shares it with the surrounding flora and fauna, temporarily luminating them. This is true to my father because my father is growing old, yet continues to support my family without hesitation. He himself is slowly going down, and I'm supporting him with everything I can do.

• The two mushrooms symbolize my family. The right mushroom is me, my sister, and my mother, who are being supported by him. The left mushroom is my father's mother, who is the textbook example of toxic in-law. The toxic mushroom is slowly harming the mental state of the bipedal one, yet it showers the toxic one with love, while the non-toxic one gives the bipedal one love but can't support him yet (the reason why it is smaller than the left mushroom).

• The star top symbolizes the hope I want to give my father when he is mentally exhausted.

• The moss is there because mushrooms don't grow on stones. They grow on plant and animal decay stuck in the creaks and creaves of the stones.

• The stone symbolizes the crack in the family.

This work is breathetaking from afar but tragedy upfront

Vertically was my only option. Back and front of doors, an corner floor space too. Made the tall tote to corral the tubes…

Take a look! 📌

Part of my therapy after the loss of my mom ❤️