Chris’s installation Spirit House emerged from several visits to Oare Gunpowder Works, a former gunpowder factory in Kent, and synonymous with industrialisation which disconnected many people from nature and their previous belief systems. Chris wanted to bring Thai traditions to England as a way to reconnect people to the forgotten spirits of the land. In Thailand, when a place is disturbed, it is customary to build a shelter, known as a spirit house, for the resident spirits- seeking their permission and offering respect for the land’s use.

Spirit House was sited in the grounds of the corning house, where slabs of gunpowder were reduced to small grains of “corn.” The building was dismantled but a giant concrete blast wall still stands. This structure protected control room workers in case of an explosion. For this project, the ruined wall was repurposed for a different kind of protection, a spirit house. The holes that once served a purpose in the manufacturing of destruction have become altars for offerings and remembrance. They serve as a resting place for grandparents, a home for a young couple, a site for dancers to worship. At their feet, a reminder of the cannons and guns that are the history of this site in Oare. In silence, the wall and its new inhabitants look at us as we look back. 

Spirit House was part of Forces of Nature held in March 2025. The event was motivated by a shared desire to engage with the layers of history, ecology, and community embedded in the site. The gathering was a collaboration between 13 artists from the Royal College of Art MFA Arts and Humanities, seven local Kent artists and over 300 attendees.