UCS Ipswich

Back to circles “Halos” for me. Still thinking about the circle containing a Identity. Here are some Images I made with the use of hula hoops.

A rumour that as a result of pope joan, special chairs were used in consecrations, the chairs had holes in their seats, so that an official check of the popes gender could be performed.

(Sedes Stercoraia- translated as “Dung chair”.

I am looking at rituals within the catholic church, and was thinking about Incense burning, the purification and sancification. The smoke symbolizes the prayers drifting up to heaven: The Psalmist prays “let my prayer come like Incense before you”.

Insence adds a sense of soleminity and mystery to the mass. The visual Imagery of the smoke and smell remind us of the transcedence of the mass which links heaven with earth.

In the photographs I have Improvised by using a Tin can and Incense, trying to create a ghostly spritual Image.

Pope Joan would have performed this rictual.

In 1140AD ‘The Law Book of Gratain’ forbade all women from distributing communion and touching sacred objects. It was deemed unclean, also the birth of a child comes as a double curse as it was believed that the menstural blood which comes with the birth was considered to such an extent of unclean that, as Solinus states “fruits dry and grass withers to touch.”

Another quote “For she carries the curse of Adam and also (punishment) you will give birth in pain” .

Pope Joan would have taken part in all these rituals, her ledgend says she gave birth in public to a boy in great pain! ouch

Psalm 6-8 music score by Cameron Dodds

Today Micheal Landy gave a talk at our university, I particually liked his talk on his most recent work Saints Alive, probably because it resonated with my project. He talked about what his Inspirations were for this particular project, to which I am finding my research on religion and depravation have a similar vein. He also talked about plants, one in particular named Shepherds Purse, which put me in the mind of Pope Joan. She was known for healing the sick and had a great knowledge on healing plants, which in itself is an act of care and kindness.

He mentioned that the plant ‘Shepherds Purse’ it tends to grow on waste land and through the cracks of pavements, I guess it survives in the toughest of situations, like people with a bit of care and kindness even in the most difficult circumstances some times they may just survive too.