In the Catholic church there are three classes of relics. The first class is body parts of a saint.

The second class is things that belonged to a saint, objects they have used and surrounded themselves with.

The third class relic is the object that touched the body of a saint.

To create a third class relic, small holes are drilled in the tombs of saints. The objects are lowered through the hole and once they touch the corpse they are no longer mundane and familiar – they now become sacred.

A meteorite, before it is diagnosed as one, is a particularly uneventful and unexciting object. It is repeatedly used as a door holder, a field marker or meaningless rock obstructing the path, blending amongst the other rocks and stones that carry no use for humans.

Once it is identified or speculated that the rock is a visitor from outer space, it takes on a whole new role.

It is the story that transforms it into a cosmic relic, a celestial object carrying stories of distance, sublime and often – religious.

Seen as god, chained to the ground in case it decides to make a return to heavens, celebrated.

I saw a tree bearing stones in the place of apples and pears is an exploration of a meteorite as a carrier of stories, a migratory body, a silent, mysterious visitor, full of projections and dreams of something bigger and more profound. It is an investigation of the myths and stories and an act of reclaiming them back.

All images ©Emilia Martin