Adornment is something that traditionally adds attractiveness, ornamentation, or embellishment and is usually associated with jewelry or accessories. It can also be used to describe the act of decorating.
I realize that the meaning of the word 'adornment' depends heavily on the opinions of the viewer. The meaning of 'attractiveness' can change dramatically from one person to the other and sometimes I feel like I have a much different view than a majority of our society- not in my direct circle of acquaintances, but in a much broader range.
I believe death is beautiful. I am not at all disturbed by bones, guts, or blood- and I mean real life guts and blood, not movie or TV blood. I am not afraid to touch and 'get messy.' For me this was a HUGE part of my earlier work. It was mostly about my experience and communion with death. It was hard to translate that into physical art unless I brought a mouse in and dissected it in front of the class. I wanted to encourage people to try what I was doing! A part of me does want to go back to it, but I also feel like I need to discover other areas as well.
BACK TO THE SUBJECT OF ADORNMENT:
There is a Church in Sedlec, Czechoslovakia that I have admired for years and used to joke about getting married in it. It seems like too big of a dream.
In 1278 the Cistercian abbot Henry voyaged to Golgotha in Palestine and brought back 'holy soil' to be mixed with the earth around the Chapel in Sedlec. The cemetery quickly became one of the most popular burial grounds of central Europe as the people believed burial here would guarantee acceptance into heaven. Less than 100 years later there were already 30,000 bodies buried in the ossuary. In 1511 a monk was ordered to gather the bones from abolishes graves and store them in a crypt to make room for 'new customers.' The bones lay in storage until a woodcarver (Frantisek Rindt) was hired to decorate the church in 1870. With more than 40,000 sets of human bones at his disposal, he decorated the church with human remains.
The decoration of this church is in NO WAY sacrilegious or satanic. It is a celebration of life and faith. Being in the presence of so many people whose beliefs designated this single resting place is beyond mind blowing. It is absolutely unfathomable. I WILL visit this church someday and when I do you better believe I will have they best camera and lens money can buy at my side!
No comments:
Post a Comment