Chanm Lwa An (2015)

I had the privilege of documenting Vodou through the lives and spiritual leadership of powerful women in the Haitian Vodou community, who serve as Manbos and Hounsi (initiates). Through their guidance, I was able to witness and document the Chanm Lwa, a sacred inner chamber within Vodou practice. The Chanm Lwa is a protected spiritual space where the Lwa are honored, received, and tended to, containing altars, ritual objects, offerings, and ceremonial tools tied to specific spirits and ancestral lineages. Beyond its physical form, it serves as a threshold between the visible and invisible worlds, a site of prayer, possession, healing, teaching, and initiation, where deep spiritual knowledge is transmitted and where living communities remain in active relationship with the spirits and ancestors.