Season of Healing

Here is my initial proposal, but will probably continue to evolve.
The project I am proposing for the Residency Program is called A Season of Healing, and is part of a larger, ongoing project called Algos-Botanica. This current project is shown in the color photographs and is incomplete. I labeled them as Healing01, Healing02 etc. It began by photographing trees that had grown into or around foreign objects, such as metal fences. Close up this phenomenon begins to look like flesh that has been injured and pieced by metal. I started making connections between these images and Catholic imagery of the wounds of Christ and other martyred saints. I placed my images on wooded plaques, and coated the surface with shellac, which resembles the sap or blood of the tree. The next phase of the project is to then turn these plaques into inter-connected sculptures, which incorporate rusted metal, beeswax and other found objects. A series of plaques will be able to be linked to together, forming a larger sculptural piece, or stand-alone as it’s own piece. The metal or beeswax will resemble the photograph on the plaque, and seem to pierce and impale the wood, and be connected to another plaque in a similar fashion.
I rather like the idea of the stations of the cross. Doing some research online, I came across this site.Each prayer to be said at each station are based on sympatizing with the Virgin Mary, and how she witnessed her son’s death. So here is the connection with the Mother of God !
http://www.stationscross.com/stations_of_the_cross.htm
Here is a wonderful excerpt:
“See the Cross, the weight, the splinters piercing his hands, the Cross striking the Crown still placed on His head—driving deeper in those thorns that pierced. The thorns, child, pierced his head, pierced his brow, pierced His Heart! The thorns child, one is for you. The thorns, child. Renew now your vows of love for Him. Caress in your heart all His wounds.”
I also posted some imagery that inspired the series. Dore’s prints for Dante’s Inferno, this wonderful photographer Desiree Dolron her site is www.desireedolron.com
and some of the drawings of Hans Bellmer.