Although I was rather happy with the outcome of the Shroud of Turin lamp, I really wanted my observer (or in this case the staff marking my work) to be able to see the full effects of the lamp without having to fill the studio with darkness. This got me thinking about possible containers for the lamp to be put in. I first just thought of using a box, but there was so much more potential than a plain box; especially seeing as I was working with the ostentatious exuberance of Catholic decor.
I came up with the idea of using a confessional box to encase the lamp. This would add a whole new level of mockery to the piece as the illuminous shroud of Turin would be inside a place of confession of sins. The sin I am lookin for in the confession box is to lie. I am merely implying that there is some holes in the truth behind the creation of the Shroud. Was it a fabrication made to be passed off as the real thing? Or was it a miracle?
When the lamp is alight, the observer can peer through the holes in the box and be presented with the face of Christ. Usually you would find a sinner in the box, or at least a priest that is the messenger of sin to God; I have subverted this concept by placing Christ in the box. I am not necissarily saying that Christ has sinned, but that this shroud is the basis of a sin; it is built on a lie.
