Jiménez Chagoya, Claudia
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University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies The Vault: Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2019-09-13 Novem Jiménez Chagoya, Claudia Jiménez Chagoya, C. (2019). Novem (Unpublished master's thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. http://hdl.handle.net/1880/110988 master thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Novem by Claudia Jiménez Chagoya A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF FINE ARTS GRADUATE PROGRAM IN ART CALGARY, ALBERTA SEPTEMBER, 2019 © Claudia Jiménez Chagoya 2019 Abstract Keywords: Violence against women, Feminicide, mourning as activism, textiles. Novem addresses the aftermath of Feminicide in Mexico. Feminicide is the killing of women because of their gender, in which outrageous acts of violence are visible. The term “feminicide” encompasses the imbalance of the gender power structures, and the corruption and neglect from the authorities surrounding these murders, manifesting in thousands of women and girls being killed each year. This attitude of neglect deeply affects the grieving processes of the families of the victims, hindering their possibility of overcoming the tragedy. The disruption of grieving processes is part of the aftermath of Feminicide, and I address it through textiles and materials rooted in my Mexican cultural background: rebozos crystallized with salt. The rebozo is a rectangular shawl associated with women’s gender roles and death practices. Salt is a purifying element linked to the belief that it prevents the souls of the deceased from being “corrupted” when they visit the realm of the living during Day of the Dead celebrations. I use these elements to subvert the negative portrayal of victims, and to enable activism and social engagement through the contemplation of mourning rituals within an artistic practice. Novem aims to create an experiential space wherein the silence of mourning, and painful whispered prayers mix, as viewers witness the works. My intention is to provide a quiet environment for contemplation and for sharing the distress and anguish of grieving families in Mexico. The ritualized processes used throughout my practice emphasize the conflicting, interrupted and unresolved emotions associated with Feminicide. ii Acknowledgements As this thesis project’s long-term goal is to foster supportive community engagement, it requires to build respectful relationships between communities. I would like to begin this section by acknowledging the traditional territories of the people of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta, which includes the Siksika, the Piikuni, the Kainai, the Tsuut’ina and the Stoney Nakoda First Nations, including Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Wesley First Nations. The City of Calgary is also home to Métis Nation of Alberta, Region III. I would like to thank my supervisor Dr Michele Hardy, and committee member Dr Jennifer Eiserman, for all the support that you so kindly gave me throughout this journey, and the exceptional knowledge that you shared with me. Your expertise and feedback were invaluable for the completion of this project. I would like to thank Dr Jean-René Leblanc as well, for his participation as internal examiner, your input was greatly appreciated. I would also like to acknowledge the Art Department staff, administrative, technicians, and professors, for their guidance in the program. I appreciate the support and assistance that I received from all of you throughout the process of this dissertation and the MFA program. I want to thank the office of the Vice-President for the support I received through the Thesis/Dissertation Research Grant, that helped me with the completion of this project. A big thanks to my fellow MFA’s. Their friendship and help, made it easier for me to adapt to a new environment and a new chapter in my life. I would like to specially thank Avril Lopez, Eve Chartrand, Gerry Straathof for their support and their help in this final exhibition. And finally, I would like to thank my family, especially my mother, Marcela, I’m profoundly grateful for everything you have done for me. This project, and the new ones on iii the horizon, wouldn’t be possible without your infinite love and support. Te quiero mucho Mamá. iv Dedication To my mom: May this help soothe a long-opened wound. v Table of Contents Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………..ii Acknowledgments………………………………………………………………………….iii Dedication ………………………………………………………………………………….v Table of Contents……………………………………………………………………………vi List of Figures and Illustrations………………………………………………………...….viii Introduction………………………………………………………………………………….1 CHAPTER 1: REPRESENTATIONS OF WOMEN AND FEMINICIDE IN MEXICO…..6 Image of women in Mexico………………………………………………………….6 Dehumanization and justification of violence………………………………………..9 Femicide vs Feminicide…………………………………………………………….11 Feminicide Statistics………………………………………………………………..12 Public Women and their double lives……………………………………………….12 Struggle to Memorialize ……………………………………………………………14 Disenfranchised Grief………………………………………………………………17 Ambiguous Loss……………………………………………………………………19 CHAPTER 2: ASPECTS OF THE ARTWORK: THEORY, METHODOLOGY, AND ARTISTIC INFLUENCES…………………………………………………………………22 Theoretical Approach………………………………………………………………22 Methodology……………………………………………………………………….24 Doris Salcedo………………………………………………………………………25 Teresa Margolles…………………………………………………………………...28 Christi Belcourt…………………………………………………………………….29 Jaime Black…………………………………………………………………………32 vi Past Iterations………………………………………………………………………33 Untitled/Unnoticed…………………………………………………………………34 Quotidian Patterns………………………………………………………………….36 Unweaving Foundations……………………………………………………………41 CHAPTER 3: NOVEM…………………………………………………………………….46 Día de Muertos ……………………………………………………………………..47 Novem/Nine………………………………………………………………………..48 Salt and Water……………………………………………………………………....49 Rebozos.……………………………………………………………………………51 Ritualized Process…………………………………………………………………..52 The Installation……………………………………………………………………..54 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………….57 Bibliography ……………………………………………………………………………….61 vii List of Figures and Illustrations CHAPTER 1: REPRESENTATIONS OF WOMEN AND FEMINICIDE IN MEXICO Figure 1: Inocencia Alterada, 2017. Paper cast. Variable dimensions. Detail of the exhibition. (p. 6) Figure 2: Inocencia Alterada, 2017. Paper cast. Variable dimensions. Detail. (p. 7) Figure 3: Living Altar on Friday of Sorrow at San Miguel de Allende 2016. (p. 8) Figure 4: Marina Abramović, Rhythm 0, 1974. (p. 10) Figura 5: Verónica Leiton, Flor de Arena, 2009. The artist and the grieving families at the second unveiling of the monument on 2012. (p. 16) CHAPTER 2: ASPECTS OF THE ARTWORK: THEORY, METHODOLOGY, AND ARTISTIC INFLUENCES Figure 6: Doris Salcedo. A flor de piel, 2014. Rose Petals. 12 feet 2 13/16 inches x 92 1/16 inches. (p. 26) Figure 7: Doris Salcedo. Palimpsest, 2018. Detail of the Exhibition. (p. 27) Figure 8: Teresa Margolles. Plancha, 2010. Metal plates and water. (p. 29) Figure 9: Christi Belcourt. Walking With Our Sisters. 2012. (p. 30) Figure 10: Elina Chauvet. Zapatos Rojos (Red Shoes). 2009. (p. 31) Figure 11: Jaime Black. REDress Project. 2014. (p. 32) Figure 12: Untitled/Unnoticed, 2017. Womenswear, cotton thread. Technique: Intervention of used women’s clothes and embroidery. Variable dimensions. (p. 35). Figure 13: Untitled/Unnoticed, 2017. Synthetic fabric night slip, cotton threads, wire, ribbon, embroidery hoops and needle. Technique: Intervention of used women’s clothes and embroidery. 59” x 10” x 8”. Detail of the exhibition. (p. 36) viii Figure 14: Untitled/Unnoticed, 2017. Long slip skirt, wire, ribbon, needles and polyester thread. Technique: Intervention of used women’s clothes and embroidery. 27.5” x 10.5” x 11.5”. Detail of the exhibition. (p. 36) Figure 15: Untitled/Unnoticed, 2017. Synthetic fabric night slip, wire, ribbon, pins and polyester thread. Technique: Intervention of used women’s clothes and embroidery. 27.5” x 9.5” x 8”. Detail of the exhibition. (p. 36) Figure 16: Quotidian Patterns, 2018. synthetic fabric and cotton thread. Technique: Etching on zinc plate and embroidery. 30’ x 25”. (p. 37) Figure 17: Quotidian Patterns, 2018. Synthetic fabric and cotton thread. Technique: Etching on zinc plate and embroidery. 30’ x 25”. Detail of the exhibition. (p. 39). Figure 18: Unweaving Foundations, 2018. Rayon rebozos and Copal. 6.5’ x 8’. (p. 41). Figure 19: Unweaving Foundations, 2018. Rayon rebozos and Copal. 6.5’ x 8’. Detail of the exhibition. (p. 43). CHAPTER 3: NOVEM Figure 20: Novem (in process), 2019. Art Silk Rebozos and salt. Variable dimensions. (p. 47). Figure 21: Novem (in process), 2019. Art Silk Rebozos and salt. Detail of the installation. (p. 50). Figure 22: Novem (in process), 2019. Art Silk Rebozos and salt. Detail of the installation. (p. 52). ix INTRODUCTION Our very humanity resides within the devotion or contempt that we assign to our practices, processes, and rituals of mourning. An aesthetic view of death reveals an ethical view of life, and it is for this reason that there is nothing more human than mourning. Doris Salcedo, “A Work in Mourning”.