Footprints at Tesetice-Kyovice,
Czech Republic

"Footprints at Tesetice" began as an investigation of the Neolithic origins of the female divine and their continued reflection in contemporary life. Two years of art installation, human interaction, and scholarly research revealed layers of origins: my origins as a second-generation Central European immigrant, the Czech artists' origins as contemporary Europeans, and the culture's origins grounded in sacred story first told before written language. Our team listened with the mythologist's ear and looked with the artist's eye. We heard the early stories held in the Neolithic stones: stories of abundance, stories of thankfulness, stories of continuation. Those ancient stories are present in contemporary religious practice, remembered village customs, and traditional design motifs.

Mother Spiral fills the interior of the ancient sacred rondel

Daughter Spiral marks the site of the discovery of many of the votive statuettes

Beginning of Daughter Spiral

Footprints connect the Mother and Daughter Spirals

Field of Death, offered by Vlast Mlejinkova

Field of Life response by Oldriska Keithova

Embryo on Mound created by Dana Markova

Embryo Face

The spiral has completed its task--ancient sacred space is open

Bits of paper intertwine with the cover crop

A footprint melts into the earth.

Early October:

Fragments of newly made artifacts lie on wet paper as seedlings struggle to break through.