Never Open is also rooted firmly in my art.
In a small-scale culture, a child knows that a mask is actually the spirit of what it represents. At each stage of initiation into manhood, progressively more knowledge is gained about the object. However, it never becomes purely a mask, not even to the maker. In Nigerian culture, craftsmen create the king’s hat. When it is placed ceremoniously on his head, he is not permitted to see the interior. Only the craftsmen know what is inside, but only the king knows what it is like to wear the crown. This concept of levels of knowledge, based on rites of passage, is what interests me.
In Christian religion, we have similar levels of knowledge. The Catholic Church has very distinct rites of passage: christening, baptism, marriage, death. Only the initiate is permitted to move beyond each stage, each level of comprehension. Butthe priest has certain religious knowledge unavailable to the congregation. Hence, he and the Virgin Mary alone have the right to intercede between the supplicant and God. The believer can enter one-on-one communication with the priest by entering a especially reserved space, the confessional.
Initially, the crosses in churches were devoid of the figure of Christ because “You shall not make for yourself a carved image”[1]. When the figure was added in the south of France, the cross was held so that only the priest was able to see the figure. This was later changed so that the audience could see the figure. At that point, the fear of idols and pagan worship had subsided, or been incorporated into the church. The level of knowledge associated with each rite of passage had evolved. This is the basis of my interest in religious ceremony or liturgy which aims to create the Christian events of the past.
Jewish art does not adhere to the Christian tradition of imagery, although it originally did, Jewish manuscripts being illustrated by Christian monks. The Jewish faith has a more ritualistic approach to faith. I was once told that in the 50’s and 60’s most art critics, as well as artists, were Jewish. The art of this period, Abstract Art, was nonfigurative.
In art, John Dewey in his 1934 book “Art as Experience” states that the purpose of art is to recreate the experience of seeing an object. All art recreates experience. Liturgy is the church’s way of recreating religious history, of bringing the past into the present. This is done by imagery, action, and spoken and repeated narrative, all within the context of the present.
My object sculptures
have been traditionally derived from this concept of levels of knowledge.
Initially, the sculptures may appear as abstract forms. To someone familiar
with the subject matter, the forms are known. The person aware of the subject
matter (often identified by the title) may think that they know the
significance. However, as always, it is only the maker of the object who knows
the truth or otherwise of the piece. For it is they who know what is revealed
and what is withheld.
It is only the creator who really understands a piece of art, although other artists have the experience to approach it. It is the mystery of creation that is unique to art.
Never Open extends this aspect from my sculpture to an actual exhibition space.
It is this level of knowledge that Never Open strives to create. It is a knowledge that exists within the gallery. A knowledge only available to those who are privileged enough to enter and approach it with the desire to understand. But, being Never Open, this knowledge is never available. Access to the knowledge is closed, the questions unanswered.
In the television series The Big Bang Theory, Howard Wolowitz is demonstrating a magic trick to Larry Fowler, the father-in-law of his friend Sheldon Cooper. “Wow” says Larry, who then dumbfounded tries unsuccessfully to recreate this trick, as he has done several times before. The story is cute and amusing. It remains so until you realize that the character of Larry is in fact Teller of the magic duo, Penn and Teller, a more accomplished magician than Howard could even become. This cute piece of humor become hilarious, something that is ridiculous once a magic piece of knowledge is revealed.
Robert Rauschenberg once described a viewer in an art gallery who walks past each work of art to view the label. His comment: “She knew exactly what it was that she was not seeing.”
Never Open creates an experience
where one can see, but never know exactly what one is seeing.
[1] Exodus 20:4
Never Open 