The installation titled Believe or Not consists of two media—an audio recording and sculptural textile objects.
In this work, I explore the theme of spirituality. I am interested in the moments of self-questioning and searching. Faith is examined both from an objective and institutional perspective—how it is presented to us through various religions—and from a subjective and intimate perspective.
The installation includes singing, which emerges from the body and represents the aforementioned subjectivity. The form of singing is untrained, raw, and intimate. The lyrics are original and address questions of spirituality and faith (for example, in one of the verses, the singer states: I am trying to create this system to understand it). Singing, as such, is also traditionally associated with ritual or prayer. In the installation, the singing is presented as a recording. For me, this recording represents contemporary materials that surround us, such as voice messages or pop music. (For instance, prehistoric people used stones as a material available to them at the time they lived.)
In this work, I confront this contemporary digital material with craftsmanship. Therefore, the second part of the installation consists of sculptures. I use organic forms and crafted wood in my work. There is again a tension between the untamed, natural, and something altered or prefabricated. This can be observed in the two largest objects, whose shapes may evoke images, windows, or gates. Here, I worked with crafted wood as if it were a stretcher frame, into which I stretched organic forms. The frame of the image also relates to the production of painted works commissioned by the Church. I then wrap the frame with painting created by dipping cocoons into dyes, achieving an abstract structure.
Textiles themselves may reference the robe of the Virgin Mary. The act of wrapping is reminiscent of cathedral interiors or upholstery in meditation spaces. The organic shapes explicitly reference the batik technique and its steps, which are essential for creating the final structure. The first step in the technique is twisting the fabric, which here symbolizes a seed, connecting to the traditions of indigenous cultures where women, as symbols of the continuation of the bloodline, are entrusted with the task of weaving fibers. The smaller objects explicitly reflect the principles of this technique. They express growth, action, and development—concepts that run through the entire installation. I chose batik because it forms a metaphorical bridge between the sources of inspiration I am working with.
From the initial intention to maintain objectivity versus subjectivity, the resulting sculptures became a kind of meditation and reflection on the theme of spirituality. Transparency and the elusiveness of the topic are crucial. This is evident in how the sculptures allow viewers to look through them and move freely through the space, „walking“ through the singing. This leaves space for the viewer’s own imagination.
Academy of Arts Architecture & Design in Prague, 2020
Bachelor project