11.5 x 17.5 x 3", 132pp. Digitally printed, screw-post bound book housed in a pearlescent acrylic box with rechargeable music box. Edition of 12 with 2AP, 2021. Designed and Published by Small Editions
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all i wanted was to get into heaven is a multi-sensorial book object that examines the complexities of a spiritual journey and its exodus. Combining archived family images, Mormon iconography, photographs from religious sites, and text from her own personal history, Gi (Ginny) Huo reimagines the past and present landscapes of being Mormon in Utah to navigate the traumatic legacies of religious systems. First-person, diaristic entries floating among clouds are punctuated by silver glitter sheets, Bible verses, and a stop-motion flip book, creating portals into peculiar spaces. These alternative topographies traverse nature’s multiple perspectives and dimensionality, rebuilding from the ruins of colonized myths to offer a threshold that leads to reconciliation and healing. Upon completion of reading the book, viewers are encouraged to press play on a music box holding a recording of Huo’s instrumental rendition of “I Need Thee Every Hour”.