PRAYER
A3 paper, acrylic paint, watercolours, gold foil, gold thread, embossing, and screen print. 60 x 42 cm 2022.
This corresponds to the way we absorb religious doctrine, sometimes encoding them in personal values, sometimes out of context in fact, retaining the moral imperatives and at other times distorting them arguably into a kind of pathology. Of particular significance are the embossing and repoussé process (which I compare to emotional imprinting) and the golden thread, symbolic of the opulence ornamentation in ceremonial vestments. The paper is held by needles in the box, a kind of surreal specimen.
Orthodox Christianity has evolved over centuries of organic, political and theological discourse and development and encapsulates within its codes and religious observances a complex history of tradition and meaning. I installed ‘Radiance’ the intelligent light control hardware, made by P. Rudman. Emulating brain synapse activity and church candles and housed within a specially created lightbox frame, the simplicity of the outcome belies the complexity of the structure. You can see more of the inner workings of the Prayer picture on my blog.
