This blog first appeared as a section of a post on my patreon. To see the pieces discussed, and the concluding restoration section of the project, sign up here. (No tiered subscriptions, pay what you want.)
lamentation one
for bible, ink and candle
This piece was inspired by a practice within evangelical Christian tradition of underlining passages of scripture that are important or relevant whilst reading. The section of the Bible used is Lamentations, and the words being underlined are ones that have particular emotional weight. This process is made intentionally messy by using a pot of ink, as opposed to a pencil or ball point pen.
Throughout the piece, wax is dripping from a candle above. As time passes the act of underlining becomes more difficult as wax covers the page, pen and hand. The candle is made from low temperature wax, designed for body contact, but the lack of clarity on this within the context of the piece creates an implication of pain.
I’ve been asked if this piece is political in nature, as it contains the destruction of a holy text. I don’t view this as an anti-religious work and, as I’ve said, the concept is closely linked to my own experiences within Christianity. I view this work, in one sense, as an artistic manifestation of the message of Lamentations. However, in contrast to lamentation six, which also features the destruction of a Bible, this piece is a generalised reflection. The Bible used is a King James translation, which I chose because of its importance within wider British culture. This first lamentation piece still has personal elements, but the piece is more a general reflection on society’s grief and lamentation following a major event.
I’ll be continuing to post my reflections on the lamentation pieces here over the next few months. If you’d like to read them now, they’ve already been made available to my patreons here.