DOCSLIB.ORG

Evoking the Sacred: the Artist As Shaman

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Evoking the Sacred: the Artist As Shaman Evoking the Sacred: The Artist as Shaman Dawn Whitehand BAVA (Hons) This exegesis is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Arts Academy University of Ballarat PO Box 745 Camp Street, Ballarat, Victoria 3353 Australia Submitted in April 2009 The objects of [American] Indians are expressive and most decorative because they are alive, living in our experience of them. When the Indian potter collects clay, she asks the consent of the river-bed and sings its praises for having made something as beautiful clay. When she fires her pottery, to this day, she still offers songs to the fire so it will not discolor [sic] or burst her wares. And finally, when she paints her pottery, she imprints it with the images that give it life and power- because for an Indian, pottery is something significant, not just a utility but a ‘being’ for which there is as much of a natural order as there is for persons or foxes or trees.1 Jamake Highwater 1 Jamake Highwater, The Primal Mind: Vision and Reality in Indian America. (New York: Harper and Row, Publishers, Inc., 1981), 77-8. ii Abstract This thesis examines, via a feminist theoretical framework, the systems in existence that permit the ongoing exploitation of the environment; and the appropriateness of ceramics as a medium to reinvigorate dormant insights. I argue that the organic nuances expressed through clay; the earthy, phenomenological and historic ritual connotations of clay; and the tactile textured surfaces and undulating form, allows ceramics to conjure responses within the viewer that reinvigorates a sense of embedment in the Earth. It is anticipated that when configured to reflect universally recognised symbols within the environment, the resulting installation triggers latent responses within the viewer thus reinvoking recognition of the inherent sacredness of the landscape. The arrival of the twenty-first century bears witness to a great many ‘illnesses’ within our communities, and in this context it may be appropriate to apply the metaphor of ‘Artist as Shaman’ to the role of the artist within contemporary society. It is intended that the body of work produced to accompany this exegesis, when installed in the natural environment, will trigger inherent recognitions of the viewer’s connection to the Earth and their sense of belonging within nature. The research informing this method of presentation includes an investigation into innate recognitions humans appear to possess regarding certain symbols and textures, which motivate the forms, surfaces and installation of my work; and an exploration of Fibonacci, fractals and the collective unconscious, supported by research in scientific disciplines such as the New Physics, Evolutionary Psychology and Evolutionary Aesthetics. iii Statement of Authorship Except where explicit reference is made in the text of this thesis, this thesis contains no material published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a thesis by which I have qualified for or been awarded another degree or diploma. No other person’s work has been relied upon or used without due acknowledgment in the main text and bibliography of the thesis. Signed: Signed: Dated: Dated: Dawn Whitehand Dr Loris Button Candidate Principal Supervisor iv Acknowledgements I would like to thank the University of Ballarat for providing me with a scholarship placement, thus making possible the carrying out of this research project. Within the Arts Academy I would like to extend my thanks to Associate Professor Allan Mann, Associate Professor Jim Sillitoe and Dr Loris Button for their support over the past four years. Though only involved over the past two years, I would especially like to thank Dr Christopher Headley and Dr Carole Wilson for their guidance, encouragement and support, during some difficult periods. Thanks must also be extended to Ian Wright, manager of Learning Environments and Web Services at the University of Ballarat, for supplying equipment and allocating a staff member, Eammon Jones, for the recording of the installation. Thanks to Eammon for his technical and creative expertise in producing the end product. Thankyou also to the Ballarat Country Fire Authority for granting me a permit for my last pit firing, at the end of November, 2008, which was during the fire restriction period. I would also like to thank my friends who offered words of encouragement and support when times became difficult. My children, Luke and Trent, were quite young when this project began, and so deserve thanks for their patience and understanding. Finally, I would like to express immense thanks to my partner, Strobe. His constant help and support – emotionally during periods of stress, and physically, such as helping me suspend the portals, and reading drafts of the exegesis – enabled the completion of this research project. v Table of Contents Evoking the Sacred: The Artist as Shaman ............................................................ i Abstract .................................................................................................................. iii Statement of Authorship........................................................................................ iv Acknowledgements ................................................................................................. v Table of Contents ................................................................................................... vi List of Illustrations ............................................................................................... viii Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1 Overview ............................................................................................................... 1 Significance of the Research ................................................................................. 4 Statement of Research Question ........................................................................... 7 Aim of the Research .............................................................................................. 7 Setting the Context ............................................................................................... 10 Towards a Regeneration of the Sacred ............................................................... 10 Historic Perspectives ........................................................................................... 13 Science ........................................................................................................... 13 Spirituality ........................................................................................................ 15 Capitalism........................................................................................................ 16 Shamanic Perspectives ....................................................................................... 17 Feminist Perspectives ......................................................................................... 20 Scientific Perspectives ......................................................................................... 23 Literature Review .................................................................................................. 28 Feminism and Art ................................................................................................ 28 Parameters and Delimitations .............................................................................. 29 Clay as Medium ................................................................................................... 30 Ceramic Installation ............................................................................................. 40 Spiritual Perspectives .......................................................................................... 52 Land Art .............................................................................................................. 56 Ecofeminism ........................................................................................................ 59 Contemporary Environmental Artists ................................................................... 62 The Gap .............................................................................................................. 67 Methodology .......................................................................................................... 70 Studio Methods ................................................................................................... 70 vi Why Clay? ....................................................................................................... 70 The method of production ................................................................................ 72 Firing process .................................................................................................. 76 Surface finish ................................................................................................... 80 Configuration ................................................................................................... 86 Scale and Multiplicity ....................................................................................... 89 Installation ....................................................................................................... 91 Artist as Shaman ............................................................................................. 93 Site
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Darkening Spirit: Jung, Spirituality, Religion, by David Tacey, London and New York, Routledge, 2013, 192 Pp., £28.99/US$47.95 (Paperback), ISBN 978-0415527033
    168 Book reviews The darkening spirit: Jung, spirituality, religion, by David Tacey, London and New York, Routledge, 2013, 192 pp., £28.99/US$47.95 (paperback), ISBN 978-0415527033 The Darkening Spirit is one panel of a diptych by David Tacey on contemporary spirituality. Where his other book, Gods and Diseases (Routledge, 2013) explores medical and clinical manifestations of repressed spirit, The Darkening Spirit is an analysis of today’s social and cultural spiritual landscape. Tacey contends that Jungian psychology, and in particular Jung’s approach to spirituality, is uniquely well placed among psychological theories to respond to the current spiritual condition. Indeed, he goes so far as to claim that ‘[t]he twenty-first century could well be Jung’s century, just as the twentieth was Freud’s’ (p. 2). In evidence of this, he indicates how many postmodern scientific disciplines such as physics, biology and ecology today radically depart from past linear and reductive perspectives, and even in Freudian psychoanalysis interest is now turning to those areas that had previously led to Jung’s ostracism from the psychoanalytic movement. Tacey’s main thesis is that ‘[t]he spirit of the holy has fallen into the unconscious, and we can no longer find this light by the official means, but only by arduous and difficult dialogue with the unconscious’ (p. 4). This thesis accounts for the book’s title, inspired by Heidegger’s observation that a darkening of the world implies a darkening of spirit. According to Tacey, the light of the spirit can now only be discovered in the dark, having become more faint and diffuse through its association with darkness.
    [Show full text]
  • Spirituality in the 20TH
    Learning Outcomes Upon completion of this unit, it is expected that participants will be able to: WESTERN • identify the major figures, ideas, images and movements that have shaped Western spirituality in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries; spirituality IN THE 20TH • reflect on the differences between spirituality and religion and why these have AND 21ST CENTURIES intensified; • identify the variety of spiritualities in the contemporary era; with Emeritus Prof. David Tacey • reflect on recent attempts within Christian spiritualities to draw on the wisdom WellSpringWellSpring July to October 2020 and practices of Eastern traditions; CENTRE WellSpring Centre, 10 Y Street Ashburton • demonstrate an understanding of mysticism, its relationship to spirituality, and explore the ‘mystical turn’ in recent times. Bookings for 2020 series Cost: $500 for the series Book and pay at www.wellspringcentre.org.au/bookings Alternatively, this unit may be taken as a credited Supervised Reading Unit in an award of the University of Divinity. Fees are then payable through FEEHelp. Dorothy Morgan Registrar, Whitley College Email: [email protected] Phone: (03) 9340 8100 If you already a student within the University of Divinity, contact the registrar at your own Home College to arrange enrolment as a Supervised Reading Unit. WellSpring CENTRE WellSpring Centre 10 Y Street Ashburton VIC 3147 w: www.wellspringcentre.org.au e: [email protected] p: (03) 9885 0277 Introduction Reading List This series adopts an historical approach to the emergence of contemporary Essential Reading: spiritualities. It begins with the rise of critical-prophetic spiritualities in [set texts recommended for purchase, paperback copies (new or used) or eBooks] Evelyn Underhill, Simone Weil and Thomas Merton.
    [Show full text]
  • Of Mainstream Religion in Australia
    Is 'green' religion the solution to the ecological crisis? A case study of mainstream religion in Australia by Steven Murray Douglas Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of the Australian National University March 2008 ii Candidate's Declaration This thesis contains no material that has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university. To the best of the author’s knowledge, it contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference is made in the text. Steven Murray Douglas Date: iii Acknowledgements “All actions take place in time by the interweaving of the forces of nature; but the man lost in selfish delusion thinks he himself is the actor.” (Bhagavad Gita 3:27). ‘Religion’ remains a somewhat taboo subject in Australia. When combined with environmentalism, notions of spirituality, the practice of criticality, and the concept of self- actualisation, it becomes even harder to ‘pigeonhole’ as a topic, and does not fit comfortably into the realms of academia. In addition to the numerous personal challenges faced during the preparation of this thesis, its very nature challenged the academic environment in which it took place. I consider that I was fortunate to be able to undertake this research with the aid of a scholarship provided by the Fenner School of Environment & Society and the College of Science. I acknowledge David Dumaresq for supporting my scholarship application and candidature, and for being my supervisor for my first year at ANU. Emeritus Professor Valerie Brown took on the role of my supervisor in David’s absence during my second year.
    [Show full text]
  • (Title of the Thesis)*
    Dionysian Semiotics: Myco-Dendrolatry and Other Shamanic Motifs in the Myths and Rituals of the Phrygian Mother by Daniel Attrell A thesis presented to the University of Waterloo in fulfillment of the thesis requirement for the degree of Master of Arts in Ancient Mediterranean Cultures Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2013 © Daniel Attrell 2013 Author’s Declaration I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. ii Abstract The administration of initiation rites by an ecstatic specialist, now known to western scholarship by the general designation of ‗shaman‘, has proven to be one of humanity‘s oldest, most widespread, and continuous magico-religious traditions. At the heart of their initiatory rituals lay an ordeal – a metaphysical journey - almost ubiquitously brought on by the effects of a life-changing hallucinogenic drug experience. To guide their initiates, these shaman worked with a repertoire of locally acquired instruments, costumes, dances, and ecstasy-inducing substances. Among past Mediterranean cultures, Semitic and Indo-European, these sorts of initiation rites were vital to society‘s spiritual well-being. It was, however, the mystery schools of antiquity – organizations founded upon conserving the secrets of plant-lore, astrology, theurgy and mystical philosophy – which satisfied the role of the shaman in Greco-Roman society. The rites they delivered to the common individual were a form of ritualized ecstasy and they provided an orderly context for religiously-oriented intoxication.
    [Show full text]
  • Spirituality 2020 3
    Learning Outcomes Upon successful completion of this unit, it is expected that students will be able to: 1. Demonstrate an understanding of the nature and role of spirituality in Australian AUSTRALIAN society; 2. Identify and analyse the role and nature of spirituality in Indigenous Australian cultures; spirituality 2020 3. Critically reflect on the tension between indigenous cultures and non-indigenous cultures, based on sacred and secular assumptions and values; with Emeritus Prof. David Tacey 4. Critically consider the process and history of secularisation in Australia and its WellSpringWellSpring February to June 2020 CENTRE impact on Christianity and other religions; WellSpring Centre, 10 Y Street Ashburton 5. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the inter-relationship between emerging spiritualities and the multicultural and multi-faith complexity of Australian society. 2020 Costs This unit will be offered for under-graduate (Unit code: DS3035W) or post-graduate (Unit code: DS9035W) credit. Enrolment for Academic Credit: Per University of Divinity schedule (single unit). If students enrol through University of Divinity, FEE-Help may be available to cover tuition fees. All enrolment fees for academic credit are payable to University of Divinity through your RTI (Recognised Teaching Institution). Auditing: Cost $500. No FEE-Help is available for auditing students. Entrance for 2020 course To enrol for this unit as a new student, either for academic credit or as an auditing student, please contact Dorothy Morgan, Registrar at Whitley College at registrar@ whitley.edu.au or on (03) 9340 8100. If you already a student within the University of Divinity, contact the registrar at your own Home College to arrange enrolment.
    [Show full text]
  • Newsletter Volume 78 - Term 3, 2015
    The Centre for Ethics Newsletter Volume 78 - Term 3, 2015 Richard Holloway, former Bishop of Breaking open the myth Edinburgh, who wrote in How to Read Where might this approach take the Bible, ‘Unimaginative literalists those who would follow the lead have destroyed the reputation of the of David Tacey? He says the first Bible by insisting on its factual truth task is to break open the myth. This rather than encouraging us to read breaking open is a necessary it metaphorically’. beginning. But what happens then? Tacey encourages the reader Mesmerised by images to be open to the myth’s interior Tacey has said he wants this book meaning. Simply to break open to cause discussion. In this, I do the myth without engaging in the not think he will be disappointed. hard work of looking for its inner He sees Australia as a theological meaning is, according to Tacey, an backwater, where the question of act of vandalism. It discounts any how we read the Bible has been sense that traditions matter and it ignored or denied. He acknowledges has no educational value. He enlists David Tacey that some theologians in this country the philosopher Karl Jaspers to David Tacey is Emeritus Professor have hinted at metaphorical content back him up, ‘Only he or she has of Literature at La Trobe University, but not been able to discuss it in the right to demythologise who Melbourne and Research Professor plain language. He says too many retains the truth contained in the at the Australian Centre for theologians are trapped in literalism; symbolic expression.’ But what is Christianity and Culture, Canberra.
    [Show full text]
  • The Complete System of Thelemic Magick
    Thelemic Qabalah Volume I Publication in Class C by Frater Apollonius 4°=7□ ATAT Fable Once upon a time there was a Great Wild Beast whose mighty roar could be heard all over a sleepy kingdom. In this kingdom there were many lovely maidens. Each Maiden lived in a wonderful cottage by a lake or a stream or by the ocean or by an echoing valley. The Children of this kingdom knew no mother or father but rather sought sustenance and comfort in the house of one of the many Maidens. Each Maiden gathered about herself all of the beautiful Children that she came in contact with and taught them by the L.V.X. of Her Soul. Each Maiden could hear the roar of the Great Wild Beast and knew that with each roar, new Children would come seeking sustenance and shelter and knowledge. The maidens would leave on porch lights to guide the children to them for the Kingdom was enveloped in eternal darkness save in the presence of a Maiden. If a Child learned well, they became a Maiden and left the cottage, with a light of their own to build and light a cottage of their own. At intervals, a Great Wild Beast would be born and roar for a time. Each Great Wild Beast, nearing the time of His passing, would teach a Maiden how to roar like them and instruct them to pass the roar on until they heard another Great Wild Beast. One day, the Great Wild Beast died and his roar was not heard in the Kingdom for many a year.
    [Show full text]
  • Teaching Jung in the University
    14/10/2007 1 Teaching Jung in the University Perhaps it would not be too much to say that the most crucial problems of the individual and society turn upon the way the psyche functions in regard to spirit and matter. (1947/1954 CW 8: 251) David Tacey, La Trobe University, Melbourne A. Jung in the Academy 1. intellectual knowledge and intuitive experience As a university student in the early 1970s, I was exposed to Jung’s thought as it were ‘off-campus’, in various books and journals that were not on the curriculum, and in conversations with non-academic individuals. I found his work fascinating and wondered why it was not on any of my university courses, and certainly not in psychology, philosophy or literature, my three selected disciplines. When I tried to explore the exclusion of Jung from the university I was told by a couple of Jungian analysts who lived in Perth and Sydney that Jung did not belong in the university and is best not taught there. One of the strongest advocates of this view was Marie-Louise von Franz, who wrote to me from Zurich that Jung in the university might degenerate into a ‘head trip’ (1976). That is, he might become an object of purely intellectual study, and the emotional and psychological process that makes Jung’s work meaningful – namely, one’s own personal encounter with unconscious contents – would be missing. Effectively, this view maintained that analytical psychology in its clinical practice owned Jung, and universities could not participate in this ownership, since they could only view Jung externally and superficially, and not from the inside.
    [Show full text]
  • Exegesis of the Greek Scriptures
    6 | Exegesis of the Greek Scriptures The principles required for responsible interpretation of the New Testament principles required for responsible interpretation of the New Testament Enrichment Version The Enrichment Version is designed for those who wish to explore principles that lead to healthy procedures for comprehending and applying the New Testament without the intention of pursuing either a certificate or a degree. This syllabus is identical to the one used by credit and degree-track students, except it is void of Internet articles, videos, listings of secondary resources, exams, and writing assignments. There is nothing to submit for professorial review or grading. Therefore, the Enrichment syllabus is available for downloading without cost. Interested parties may glean substantial knowledge, comprehension, and understanding of New Testament exegesis through this guide. Other courses deal with the people, places, and events of the Greek Scriptures and their meaning. This course in exegesis is concerned with the student's own ability to interpret New Testament texts. The need to do personal interpretation presupposes that spiritual maturity rests upon good exegesis. The course assumes the student has a good understanding of the nature and content of the New Testament. The task here is to select samples of biblical texts and consider how they should be studied and what application can be made for the present day. The course is organized in four modules: (1) Interpreting the New Testament, (2) Matthew and Mark, (3) Acts and the Modern Church, and (4) The Book of Revelation. Objectives • Recognize the nature of New Testament compositions • Identify rules, vocabulary, and principles for interpreting New Testament genres • Apply New Testament texts to contemporary situations Course Learning Outcomes At the end of the course, the student will be able to 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Analogical Evidence and Shamanism in Archaeological Interpretation: South African and European Palaeolithic Rock Art
    Analogical Evidence and Shamanism in Archaeological Interpretation: South African and European Palaeolithic Rock Art MARÍA CRUZ BERROCAL Rock art studies have been strongly reliant on ethnography in recent decades. Since the 1970s, the (re)turn to ethnography has been considered short of a paradigmatic change, and it has indeed stirred a lot of theoretical discussion in the very under-theorized field of rock art research. The ethnographic turn has been mainly built around shamanism, very loosely defined here as the causal association that researchers establish between shamanic practices and rock art, and from which explanations have been sought. The application of this approach has changed through time, depending on 1) the archaeological context in which it was to be applied, 2) the use of additional sources of evi- dence (namely, neuropsychology), 3) the role of shamanism as a hypothesis or as an established fact. As a hypothesis it has been built on the basis of three dif- ferent kinds of analogies: ethnographic, formal and uniformitarian. This paper addresses the shifting character of shamanism in South African and European Palaeolithic rock art studies, seeking to contribute at least in part to a broader reflection on the nature of analogical reasoning and its implications. INTRODUCTION This paper highlights the role that anal- ogy plays in shamanism, and its changing This paper is a historiographic revision of nature through time. The term shamanism the application of a shamanistic hypothesis, hides not only different analogies, but also henceforth ‘shamanism’, to rock art stud- different theoretical approaches to the social ies, especially in the South African and significance of rock art.
    [Show full text]
  • David Tacey's New Animism Seminar[1]
    1 Dear Colleagues, The Executive Committee is pleased to launch the first seminar in the Issues in Jungian Psychology Series with David Tacey’s paper, ‘Toward A New Animism: Jung, Hillman and Analytical Psychology.’ From David some points to consider: The ecological crisis of the contemporary world has urged upon us anew kind of animism, in which the things of the world are alive, animated, spirited, mainly because the body of the world is experiencing pain, pathological symptoms and suffering; the psyche of the world or anima mundi is being discovered in the same way in which psyche was first discovered in suffering individuals. Hillman’s work draws out contradictions in Jung’s theorizing, and privileges Jung’s post‐Cartesian vision and its affirmation of an new kind of animism, which is easily mistaken as pre‐modern animism, and hence as regressive. Hillman’s ‘archetypal psychology’ is an attempt to re‐appropriate what had been left out of ‘Jungian’ or ‘analytical psychology’, but what he re‐appropriates seems so foreign to established views that it is treated as alien and disruptive. This paper raises several issues that may be found at the end of the paper after references. Best wishes, Maryann Dear Colleagues, We have had some thought provoking and inspiring discussions of late from many contributors under the headings of TERMS and ANTIMONY. The spectrum of perception the IAJS membership hold collectively on Jung and what comprises Jungian Studies continues to demonstrate ongoing frontiers on both these topics. I suspect some of these debates will find a new frame in the first seminar of the Issues In Jungian Psychology Series that commences on October 1st.
    [Show full text]
  • Exegesis, Religious Coping, and Spiritual Growth by Michael R
    How Do You Read It?: Exegesis, Religious Coping, and Spiritual Growth By Michael R. O’Shea Date: April 12, 2021 Approved: _____________________ First Reader _____________________ D.Min. Director Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Ministry in the Divinity School of Duke University 2021 How Do You Read It?: Exegesis, Religious Coping, and Spiritual Growth By Michael R. O’Shea Date: April 12, 2021 Approved: _____________________ First Reader _____________________ D.Min. Director An abstract of a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Ministry in the Divinity School of Duke University 2021 copyright Abstract This thesis analyzes critical and non-critical approaches to the interpretation of scripture against the four psychological features of religious coping identified by Ken Pargament—differentiation, integration, flexibility, and security—to argue that an ecclesial-critical approach to biblical interpretation is best suited to nurture the psychological resources necessary to successfully navigate spiritual crisis and produce ongoing spiritual growth. iv Dedication To all those who have contributed to my spiritual growth. v Table of Contents Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... iv Dedication ................................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents
    [Show full text]