Holly Hunt: Research

The article explores how controversial debates about the Catholic Church and Islam are becoming more important in our cultural identity.

Anselm Franke says that there is not a wave of religious works in contemporary art, however artists are engaging and citing religion more in their work. He refers to Bruno Latour’s hypothesis. He says that “faith,” as it is known today in secular societies, is an invention of modernism, precisely because it is perceived to be detached from another reality.

Although I am not religious myself, just investigating the concept, I'm not sure that I agree with this hypothesis. Is faith really an invention of modernism? Surely you can have faith in anything and anyone at any period of time. I do accept that we live in a secular world however I don't think that faith has been a recent invention, but a concept shared throughout the ages.

Jörg Heiser says that 'Art and religion are the antithesis of one another, like water and oil (although emulsions are possible). The thirst for knowledge is constrained by belief and its claims to power, and art is instrumentalized in the service of religious incarnations.

If art and religion are like water and oil then my project would be impossible and redundant! Before the Renaissance period had dissolved and society had moved on from the influence of religion all of art was focused on religion; why can't that be revisited today? I think that the absence of religion is just as important, to discuss, as the abundance of it. I do however agree with his second statement as religious beliefs are somewhat clouded by logic; concepts such as evolution, Stem cell research, IVF etc. I think when infiltrating the relifgious world in art you have to probe, be controversial and challenge perception.

Silvia Henke says 'Religious art is taboo!', 'contemporary art exhibitions full of religious symbols, themes and staging see themselves as events of culture rather than religion',

This point of religious symbols being cultural rather than religious is quite thought provoking. The main differences between culture and religion are that religion is an organised and filtered system of beliefs followed by people, whereas culture is shared ideas of knowledge and beliefs that don't neccissarily have to be followed. So what would you have to do to make the work religious rather than cultural? Would a religious person have to make the piece of work in order for it to be truly religious? And if so would it be taken seriously or would it be a mockery?

No comments

Research

Maurizio Cattelan

No comments

Research

Louis de Belle

No comments

Research

Lorraine Loots

No comments

Research

Soasig Chamaillard

"I grew up in a Christian Western society. My perspective on life has been a result of my environment and background.

The playful interaction of society’s many icons, physical transformations, and the resulting improbable combinations, have culminated in my vision of a woman’s role and place in our society.

This inner questioning of a woman’s role, has led me to use one of the most sacred icons in my work, namely, the Virgin Mary.

Initially, I begin with damaged statues, either donated or discovered in garage sales, which I then restore and transform.

I surely do not mean to shock those who believe but rather to move those who see"

Chamaillard has taken the most iconic female figure of the past and has transformed her image into several different combinations. In this way she is challenging our perception of the role of women in modern society. The act of restoring and transforming these sculptures may be the key idea here. As women today in a developing society, we are transforming into stronger, more independent figures.

She is being playful rather than trying to shock. I would like to take this concept forward into my work as I take on the iconic figures of the saints and animate them. She is being playful with form, like a child, to avoid being shocking in her efforts. I think that is is a really clever and more laid back way in which to explore the topic of religion; of course some observers will take offence and find some atrocity in the manipulation of religious figures.

I really think this work is so similar to mine in terms of theme and tone; it is quite clearly religious and humorous. The idea of taking the Virgin Mary and refurbishing' her seems like such a funny concept, however I see it more as recycling; as if she's taking this iconic figure and bringing her back to life. I can see connotations of reincarnation which is quite controversial as this contradicts catholosim and touches upon a whole other belief (Hinduism and Buddhism). Maybe the artist is making a point of having a sort of cultural exchange with other religions? There is such an overlap in religious concepts and figures that it should all be shared and respected.

Lady Octopus 2015 Acrylic and resin

Saint Liberty

The piece above is a parody of the iconic Statue of Liberty in America. Saint Mary takes the place of lady liberty and tourists still queue up below. I think that this piece is a very playful way in which to transform a beloved American figure into a saint; perhaps I could do the same thing with Donald Trump? He is an increasingly iconic figure today as his campaign to be president of the United States is fully underway. I'm sure Trump thinks of himself as a saint, so why not make him into one?

No comments

Research

Group Tutorial

After having my tutorial I felt a lot happier about how my work translated to my audience. In this tutorial the person presenting their work had to stay silent whilst the group had to voice their thoughts. The first word that someone came up with was RELIGIOUS. This made me so happy as I wasn't sure that there was enough evidence in my work of it being obviously religious. Of course I don't want to be too obvious with what I'm trying to present, as I think the observer should have room to interpret the work for themselves.

Another member of my group made a very interesting comment that I hadn't actually thought about before. He mentioned that the work could be fetishised due to the fixation on the finger. I suppose the piece does have a few sexual connotations, especially the 3D zoetrope of Saint Thomas's finger poking into the air. In this way it seems that sexualising the relics is just another way to 'probe' the subject; almost mocking the idea of worshiping the relics when there is an underlying grotesque history (the violent way in which the saints were killed).

The symbol of the finger was discussed. Someone mentioned the heirachy of the finger and its authoritative power. The members of the group worked out that the finger was the index finger, however they thought that they were cast from a persons actual finger. This made be quite happy as they were essentially praising my sculpting skills without realising. I had played with their perceptions and made all of the fingers to look identical when they were made in different ways.

The Donald trump pieces (phenakistascope and stainglass window) were appreciated as funny and with some relevance to my overall theme, however people mentioned that it was so separated from the other pieces, as it was quite obviously political. I couldn't really help the fact that these pieces were read as political as Trumps campaign is very topical at the present moment. I tried to bring his arguments with the pope into the piece however I need to appreciate that not everyone has read this in the news/researched on Trump as much as I have.

I think that I really need to consider attaching labels to my work and maybe even a description/narrative. I have taken from the tutorial that I am going in the right direction and the observer can sense the theme themselves (religious/humorous) however there was a too small chance that they would have worked out which Saint was being represented and the story behind it. I need to remember why I set out to do this; it was supposed to be an investigation into Catholic relics, to poke fun at, materialise and bring them back to life. If I am to stick to this initial idea then I need to provide further information along with my piece in order for the observer to appreciate it fully and to learn about the saints who's tales are becoming increasingly less relivant in today's secular society. I was also told to go bigger and more controversial; push the boundaries of the topic that I have chosen. Perhaps I can make a larger reliquary encasing Donald Trumps tiny hands? I could make my prints, of Saint Thomas's finger, larger or more repetitive; almost wallpapering my space?

No comments

Research

Frederik Scheve

No comments

Research

Possible finger zoetrope animations

No comments

Research

Phenakistascope

No comments

Research

Donald Trump and Illma Gore

There has been so much discussion of the notorious Donald Trump today as his Muslim hate campaign, extreme right wing politics and violent campaign rally's that I would be remissed if I didn't include him in my project. Donald Trump is becoming a very influential figure; not neccasserily for the right reasons. I read an article about an argument between Trump and the Pope, which I thought was utterly bizarre. In it, the pope questioned Trumps Christianity as he believes that bridges should be built instead of walls (referring to Trumps plans to build a wall between America and Mexico) to which Trump replies with the fair point of the wall around Vatican City. Trump may have had a clever comeback, however the Vatican City has a right to have a wall as a border whereas Trumps wall between Mexico is an act of racism and segregation. The fact that the pope made a point of questioning his faith is a testament to Trumps delusion; he believes he is a devout Christian.

After much research into this man I have found that he has done unspeakable things that would make a Christian, such as the pope himself, disappointed:

Donald Trump's ex-wife Ivana accused him of "raping" her three years previously.
Things that Trump has said about women: for example 'Women are essentially aestheticly pleasing objects'.

Illma Gore is an artist who has painted what she imagines Donald trump to look like nude. The piece has caused quite a controversy in the US, so much so that Gore has received 1000 death threats from trump supporters and she must fly over here to exhibit the painting in London according to this Daily mail article. Trump has made it impossible for the painting to be exhibited in the US, he has effectively censored the painting out of America; perhaps this only increases the paintings power as it is forbidden fruit, in a manner of speaking. Gore's piece a clever manipulation of the tag line of Trumps campaign, 'make America great again'. Complete with a micropenis, the painting is a confident portrayal of Trump, but with some obvious shortcomings. The fact that this painting has caused Trump such insecurity and fear, is a statement on his childish idiosyncrasies; he's scared that people will believe that he has a micropenis.

The size of his hands has come into question also, as entire articles have been written about it in Vanity Fair, Telegraph and

The daily mail. They include some rather amusing points:

Trump regularly sends a photo of his hands to the Vanity Fair Editor with the length of his fingers outlined with a sharpie.
He references his penis in TV interviews, ensuring people that there is 'no problem' with the size.
Lori Reid, the author of 'Your Health in Your Hands', has written that shorter fingers 'show a tendency to impatience, especially when it comes to pedantic or nit picking behaviour.
How can this all link to my project?
The massive presence that Donald Trump has in society is so large and the significance of his fingers is quite interesting. Trumps idea of Christianity must be severely warped if he thinks that he should fit into that category. Is Trump so significant today that his finger could be a relic ? What would happen if the only thing left of him in the future was his finger? I'm not at all comparing him to that of Saint Thomas, however, the fixation on his hands has made me wonder if I should create a reliquary containing Donald Trumps tiny fingers; a part of his body I'm sure he's be far too self conscious of to want as an artefact. I could perhaps make a stainglass window depicting a moment in Trumps campaign; these may have more obvious religious connotations as opposed to the zoetrope that has a less obvious setting. I want to be careful not to be too obvious/kitch though, as I don't want to receive death threats too!

No comments

Research

The Shroud of Turin

As we read from my earlier research, 'The Guardian, Christian relics on display', the shroud of Turin is supposedly the burial shroud of Christ showing an impression of his face; this was discredited as a medieval forgery. I wanted to explore this relic further as the 'forgery' seems to have been far too technical for a medieval man; the shroud appears to be a fairly technical photo negative. The documentary is a fascinating look at some researchers attempts to 3-dimensionalise the image of christs face (this documentary is a rather long 1h27m, so I will sum up the information below).

Ray Downings team of researchers were on a mission to extract information from the shroud of Turin in order to produce the first 3D image of Christ.
The shroud of Turin was carbon dated as being only 700 years old which would suggest that it is a forgery; as Christ was resurected in the 33AD.
The shroud was considered worthy of veneration (Christian significance) but it is still inconclusive as to whether the shroud is authentic or a fake. The shroud itself seems to hold 'negative information' as if a photographic negative has been created; this would be far too advanced for medieval times.
The Nostics/Heritons (a wiped out form of Christianity) believed that humans cannot see the world in its true 3 dimensions; they suggest that there is an invisible universe. This could correspond with the shroud as it appears to have a hidden 3rd dimension inside due to the distorted contours in the flat cloth; like a hologram? Perhaps the shroud is a metaphor for the universe as heaven is also a hidden universe.
The 3D negative is similar to that of a mould.
Only the top microfiber has colour on it; this eliminates the possibility of a pigment paint or stain.
The only explanation that the Ray Downings team touched upon was the possibility that the marks were a result of blood and radiation. Could Christ really have been glowing as he was resurected? Did the glowing create a photographic negative?

Below I have made a timeline of these findings:

How can this correspond to my project?

The idea that the image in the shroud was created by the body of Christ glowing, is a rather interesting idea. Perhaps I can experiment with lights beneath cloth? I could make my own forgery of the shroud and light it in a way that would have been impossible at the time; without a miracle of course. I could have an ethereal glow and try and recreate the resurrection in a modern way perhaps?

No comments

Research

Zoetropes

No comments

Research

Matt Collishaw; Peter Paul Rubens

Matt Collishaw has created a truly amazing piece that depicts the massacre of the innocents, a biblical recount of the slaughtering of babies ordered by King Herod. Jonathan Jones writes a review of this piece, All things fall. The peice is a 3D printed sculpture which is animated by a turntable in a sort of optical illusion; this is a zoetrope. It is equally beautiful as it is haunting. Piles of dead babies and men beating women are represented by these marble-like figures, moving as if robotic and animate. The scale is rather daunting; I would have expected the sculpture to sit on a small table, however it would easily tower over the average sized man. This scale is invasive on the observer, almost like the elephant in the room, you don't want to look closer but you must.

Jonathan Jones makes some rather interesting points in his review. He says that 'Art is drawn to violence because in violence the body expresses itself fully'. I could not agree more with this statement as I think that in violence and general times of terror we are completely vulnerable. The piece is a matter of fact and doesn't hide any parts of the story, which I really respect. Jones also says that 'All Things Fall uses state-of-the-art technology, Victorian optical gimmickry and a deep feeling for art history to question the way we look at violence.' This juxtoposition of 3D printing with Victorican optical illusions/pre-animation is quite a beautiful way to depict this horrific scene. I would never have presumed that the sculpture was made using a 3D printer as it has such a traditional look to it, especially when surrounded by all of those marble statues. I have also tried to play with the viewers perceptions in my piece as I have sculpted the relics and reliquaries then replicated using a casting method and photoshop techniques. I do love the idea of animating my sculpture by making a zoetrope. Animating my relics would essentially be materializing them before the observers eyes. Perhaps I can begin by animating drawings first?

Collishaw's zoetrope resembles Peter Paul Rubens painting Massacre of the innocents (below). This painting is a far more static and dated representation of the event. A biblical research associate, Gordon Franz, questions the factuality of the massacre of the innocents and points out evidence supporting and opposing the legitimacy. Just as the result of my research into Saintly relics, I find myself a bit skeptical of the truth in this tale .

No comments

Research

American Nightmare

The Turn of the screw:

Henry James was a sophisticated physiological realists as well as a gothic writer- challenges our sense of reality.

Cultural context: Spriritualism, séances and spirit photography (taking pictures of ghosts with double exposures and doctored negatives) in Victorian society.

Is James 'Screwing' with Victorian children, transgressing the innocence of Victorian children. The child was seen as an angel and of spiritual purity.

Middle class children were predominately used in photography as opposed to lower class chimney sweeps etc. Lewis Carroll used nude/semi-nude photos of children to immortalize their angelic qualities.

3 possible turns of the screw:

1. A drama of salvation;

the governess battles the evil ghosts to save the children. The governess holding a dead child is a triumph?

2.Diary of a madwoman;

challenges the notion of a ghost story, they exist in the governesses head. Supernatural to psychological. She's a young 'fluttered, anxious girl out of a Hampshire vicarage'. She appears to enjoy gothic romances (The mysteries of udolpho, Jane Eyre).

Sexual Awakening and repression; 'the long glasses in which, for the first time, I could see myself from head to foot.' A symbol of her innocence and lack of self awareness, virgin. The governess has erotic ambiguity, perhaps sexually repressed and projects her repressed desires through the ghosts. Perhaps she molested Miles whilst smothering him to death?

The Climax: Mirrors and windows are a key image cluster. She forcefully presses Miles against the window. Erotic ambiguity in the relationship between Miles and the governess; they flirted and she often commented on his beautiful physical appearance.

Miles:

Why was he expelled? For saying things to 'boys he liked'. Suggesting the homosexuality of Miles, what can you possibly say to other boys (In a nice way) to be expelled as a result?

Parents of the children have died, then adopted by their grandparents who die, uncle doesn't want anything to do with them and hires a new governess.

The child is evil; enanitodromia: the conversion of something to its opposite. The children begin by being angelic/pure/innocent and are now seen as evil? Children are seen as innocent as they are not yet fully encultured and are unsocialised.

3. Metafictional trap:

A fiction about fiction (self-reflixive narrative). Everyone finds different things scary, so he only makes the 'readers general vision of evil intense enough'. We are not told what is evil so we must figure this out ourself, this often creates a scarier tale as we must fill in the blanks and come to our own conclusions.

Labyrinth of mirrors: we are not reading the text, the text is reading us. What we see in the text is therefore a self-reflection.

No comments

Research

Doubting Thomas

"St. Thomas is best known for his role in verifying the Resurrection of his Master. Thomas' unwillingness to believe that the other Apostles had seen their risen Lord on the first Easter Sunday earned him the title of "doubting Thomas." Eight days later, on Christ's second apparition, Thomas was gently rebuked for his skepticism and furnished with the evidence he had demanded - seeing in Christ's hands the point of the nails. Thomas even put his fingers in the nail holes and his hand into Christ's side. After verifying the wounds were true, St. Thomas became convinced of the reality of the Resurrection and exclaimed, "My Lord and My God," thus making a public Profession of Faith in the Divinity of Jesus."

Perhaps doubting Thomas was merely a skeptic, he wanted proof of this resurrection. If Saint Thomas hadn't doubted Christ, he never would have been given his nickname 'doubting Thomas' which is a term used today 'don't be a doubting Thomas'; this simply means that people should stay true to their beliefs and not be too sceptical in life. I think that this could be applied to anyone, not just exclusively to Christians, as a life motto of sorts. I think that many of Christian beliefs and lessons can certainly be learned and applied in modern society without having to be a religious person. I would really like my work to materialise these Saints as if to bring them back to life and re-tell their stories. I really think that humour is unavoidable in my project just as Micheal Landy and Jake and Dinos Chapman's work is; perhaps animating/3-dimensionalising an important figure instantly generates amusement? It takes the figures out of their context of being solely used for worship and animates them into a childlike scene. I think that my work could potentially be satirical yet with the naivety of a child. All of the relics that I've researched have been preserved before a gruesome death, so I think that I should either try to exaggerate this gore or subvert it, changing the meaning all together.

Pages

Saint Catherine of Siena

Loving Vincent: a film made by paintings

Ron Mueck

Contemporary debate: Is there a return of religion in art today?

Maurizio Cattelan

Louis de Belle

Lorraine Loots

Soasig Chamaillard

Group Tutorial

Frederik Scheve

Possible finger zoetrope animations

Phenakistascope

Donald Trump and Illma Gore

The Shroud of Turin

Zoetropes

Matt Collishaw; Peter Paul Rubens

American Nightmare

Doubting Thomas

Marc Quinn

How many institutes claim to own the same relic?

Labels

Blog Archive

Popular Posts

My favorite artists

Like us on Facebook

Pages

Labels

Blog Archive

Popular Posts

My favorite artists

Like us on Facebook

Subscribe