Reliquaries and Mother Goddess Figures

/1 Comment/in , /by

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

I have reliquaries and “venus” figures on the brain…

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Studio shot of the paper mache reliquaries in process

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4vyF8xVBBY&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

Christopher working on the inside of “Flosshilde.”

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

A few days ago I took a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to do research.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Outer Coffin of Kharushere

Virgin and Child Reliquary, French, 1170-1200

The Visitation, German, 1310-20

Bust of Saint Yrieix, French, 1220-40 (Made to house his skull)

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Voluptuous ladies from the past, your silhouettes still inspire.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Venus of Lespugue (resides in France, at the Musée de l’Homme)

Venus of Willendorf (resides in Austria, at the Naturhistorisches Museum)

A Mother Goddess (resides in Turkey, at the Ankara Museum)


Diving back in

/2 Comments/in /by

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

A dear friend of mine has inspired and encouraged me to start blogging again. And so, not without some apprehension, I begin. (Hoping to avoid polluting the internet with an esoteric trail of hedonistic self-absorbed residue.)

At the time of this writing I’m focusing most of my energy on a collaboration with my choreographer friend Christopher Williams. I’m designing and building some fairly elaborate costumes for Christopher’s two new piece “Gobbledygook” and “Hen’s Teeth.”
I can’t share too much yet about how they will look. Not until the piece opens. But I’ll share sneaky glimpses of things as they form. Like this webcam shot of me working on a full body reliquary costume:

The blurb for Hen’s Teeth:
Incorporating imagery of the mysterious flying women found in a Breton fairytale preserved by 19th century folklorist François-Marie Luzel, the Graeae, or three swan-like crones of ancient Greek myth who share only one eye and one tooth between them, and that associated with the display of holy relics in the middle ages, Hen’s Teeth is a work for three middle-aged women, six younger women, and one man set to to contemporary music by Gregory Spears in the form of a requiem mass sung in Breton, Latin, and French by members of Lionheart and Anonymous 4 that incorporates elements of the homophonic chanson Cigne ie suis de candeur by Claude Le Jeune (c. 1528-1600)
More info at:
http://www.christopherwilliamsdance.org/performances.php