In one of the videos below Meg Hitchcock wears a little grin as she tells the interviewer,”Art is the true religion.”
The Brooklyn based artist was raised as a born-again Christian. Though she no longer follows any organized religion, she has great respect for an individual’s spiritual beliefs.
Her view on religion resonates with me and I am fascinated with this time-consuming-all-consuming-process that culminates in a celebration of one’s spiritual beliefs and experiences.
Throne, The Book of Revelation
Letters cut from the Koran
44.5 x 30 in
Hitchcock cuts individual letters from one holy book letter by letter and reconfigures the letters to create passages from other holy books. The best way to view them online is to go to her website and use the zoom feature in her slideshow. Amazing. . .
“I select passages from holy books and cut the letters from one passage to form the text of another.
For example, I may cut up a passage from the Old Testament of the Bible and reassemble it as a passage from the Bhagavad Gita, or I may use type from the Torah to recreate an ancient Tantric text.
A continuous line of text forms the words and sentences in a run-on manner, without spaces or punctuation, creating a visual mantra of devotion.
By conceptually weaving together the sacred writings of diverse traditions, I create a multi-layered tapestry of inspired writings, all pointing beyond specifics to the human need for connection with the sacred.”
Detail, Mundaka
Subhan’Allah: The Lord’s Prayer
28″ x 22 1/4″
The three videos below give you a much better idea of the work and the artist.
“In my text drawings I deconstruct the word of God by cutting letters from sacred writings and rearranging them to form a passage from another holy book.
I may cut letters from the Bible and reassemble them as a passage from the Koran, or use letters cut from the Torah to recreate an ancient Tantric text.
The individual letters are glued to the paper in a continuous line of type, without spaces or punctuation, in order to discourage a literal reading of the text.
By bringing together the sacred writings of diverse traditions, I create a visual tapestry of inspired writings, all pointing beyond specifics to the universal need for connection with something greater than oneself.”
DAM fascinating – and a look at the artist at work.
A closer look at this installation.
