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The End is Not Yet 2020  Humans have been making and using prayer beads for millennia. Their exact origin remains uncertain but earliest historical use traces to Hindu prayers in India dating to the third century BC. In traditional prayer bead making, the construction, number and arrangement varies by religion, culture & use, all representing specifici ideas. This installation comprises 792 beads representing the total number of hours New Zealand spent locked down at level 4 during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. In spiritual tradition, prayer beads are used as amulets or talismans but most often to count prayers or mantras. Here, we count the weeks, days & hours until freedom and safety are restored. The work comprises 5 sets - 4 of which contain 168 beads (total hours in a week) and 1 smaller set containing 120 beads (the final 5 days of level 4). Each set contains a large head bead marking the point of entry into the cycle and 7 signifier beads symbolising the beginning and end of each week in lockdown.

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