C A H A Y A

Cahaya is a bioluminescent water nymph whose lithe sapphire body is feminine yet fish-like. Cahaya means “light” in Indonesian. She is the day, while her sister Mahina, whose name means “moonlight" in Hawaiian, is the night. Cahaya’s eyes and hands point up toward the sunlight, while Mahina’s point down toward the viewer - and the underworld. Together they are the guardians of the sea.

A R T I S T   S T A T E M E N T

Cahaya is a bioluminescent water nymph whose lithe sapphire body is feminine yet fish-like. Her hands point elegantly up to the sky - she is a pillar of strength. Her divergent steel fishtail base is embedded with mosaic glass scales, and like a fish, her body is vertically bisected, her center penetrated by a hollow steel spinal column from which her bioluminescence softly emanates, shining through circular glass windows of blue and violet. 

Made from army landing mats, her illuminated spinal column is painted a reflective white inside and filled with mirrors which intensify each light while also blocking its reach. The result is an eerie juxtaposition of light and darkness, the pattern of which may be interpreted as some mysterious signal to the viewer in Cahaya’s bioluminescent language. 

Low-energy LEDs are the source of Cahaya's inner light, powered through a small solar panel integrated into her fishtail base. Cahaya means “light” in Indonesian. She is the day, while her sister Mahina, whose name means “moonlight" in Hawaiian, is the night. Cahaya’s eyes and hands point up toward sunlight and the heavens, while Mahina’s point down toward the earth and underworld. Together they are the guardians of the sea.

H O L L O W   S P I N E

Made from army landing mats, Cahaya's illuminated spinal column is painted a reflective white inside and filled with mirrors which intensify each light while also blocking its reach. The result is an eerie juxtaposition of light and darkness, the pattern of which may be interpreted as some mysterious signal to the viewer in Cahaya’s bioluminescent language. 

I N N E R    L I G H T

Low-energy LEDs are the source of Cahaya's inner light, powered through a small solar panel integrated into her fishtail base. Cahaya means “light” in Indonesian. She is the day, while her sister Mahina, whose name means “moonlight" in Hawaiian, is the night. Cahaya’s eyes and hands point up toward sunlight and the heavens, while Mahina’s point down toward the earth and underworld. Together they are the guardians of the sea.

Photos by Shanachie Carroll

B U I L D I N G   C A H A Y A

Watch me build Cahaya & Mahina in this video!