Vaho

A functional Temazcal, or ceremonial sweat lodge built on a mountainside overlooking Volcán de Fuego, Acatenango and Volcán de Agua in Antigua, Guatemala. This large-scale work of art and architecture was conceptualized, designed and built over the course of a year, 2019, and completed in 2020.

This is Southard's first major architectural work and first large-scale international piece. With this project she learned how to work with concrete through a collaboration with a team of master masons from Guatemala, working and learning side by side with them while teaching them metalworking.

The front window, or what is known as The Eye of Vaho is built from shards of blown recycled glass cast into resin, the same technique she used in my piece Things Over Time. In order to create this Eye, she built a glassblowing studio outside of Antigua, Guatemala. Bringing back to life some old found equipment and making it into a furnace, casting a glass crucible and used recycled glass donated from local bars and restaurants to blow the shards.

This work is greatly inspired by her personal experiences while traveling around Guatemala, as well as the active landscape and architecture of the country.

Vaho is a sanctuary built from intersecting concrete lines and curves where fire and water meet to create transformative experiences for people. Although this Temazcal is not designed traditionally its intention remains the same. It is a space for healing, meditation and ceremony.