Whilst looking at the news paper this morning I was struck by the Impact of this Image “procession of silence” to mark Holy week. In Zamora, Spain, the Cristo de las Injurias Brotherhood wear red hoods and white tunics to take part in the Holy Week processions.
The Penitents gather at the square of the Cathedral to mark the “oath of silence” before the start of the ‘Procession del silenco. During the processions, the brotherhoods carry life size effigies of jesus christ and the virgin mary through the streets, accompanied by dramatic drum beats and mournful music.
Artist Thomas Lanigan-Schmidt makes art out of rubbish; such as sweet wrappers, shiny plastics, tin foil, beer cans and all kinds of stuff.
His work “Tender is love among the junk” involves iconography- the decorative culture of the Roman Catholic Church. Woven throughout, too are peices of gay porn and other signifiers of homosexual desire.
The Exhibitions most poignant work is Mysterium Tremendium (late 1980’s) an Instillation of 125 disposable baking pans, the bottoms of which tell a autobigraphical tale in painted pictures and hand written words about a Alter boy, who is beaten by teenage extortionists, who has fallen in love with another boy, he subjects himself to a quasi-sucidal facial cutting and then finds salvation in art. This work is accompanied by a five minute audio track, with different voices reciting the story, like those taking part in high mass.
The other day I was thinking about the Magdalene Laundries, this was a place where Irish women were deemed guilty of having Illegitimate children. Magdalene Laundries were also known as Asylums, a house for women who had fallen from moral correctness. Women were sent there also because they were too pretty, or too ugly,too clever or too silly! these women were supposedly vunerable to suduction,and men were vunerable to temptation by them. This research made me think about my project pope joan, although she foxed the church by taking on the guise of a man to rise to the status of a pope, ledgends say that she gave birth to a son and then dragged through the streets and stoned to death . As mentioned before the catholic church errased her identity and is not recognised in the catholic church .
With the women in Magdelene Laundries their Identities were Imediatley taken from them and given different names, sadly their children taken from them too.
They suffered a harsh daily regime, work would start at 5am and consisted of handwashing drying and Ironing clothes from orpanages churches and prisons.
The scrubbing was Intended to wash away their sins, however how much the women washed, they were considered dirty and sinful through out their lives.
The Magdalene victims suffered oppresive work conditions, they sometimes had their head shaved or were made to fast. Once a week there were “mortifications” women were stripped and their vanity was ridiculed.
A Cilice is an undergarment made of coarce cloth or animal hair (a hair shirt) which is worn close to the skin, it was used in some religions to Induce discomfort or pain as a sign of repentance and atonement.
Cilices were originally made from sack cloth and animal hair so they would Irritate the skin. Other features were added to make cilices even more uncomfortable such as wire and twigs.
This is a Bra I have made out of wire and spikey nylon, with this ritual in mind.
