“Sheela-na-gig”
Placental Blood Lino Printing
.
.
“SHEELA-NA-GIG”
Placental Lino Prints – Block printing using a carved lino tile and placenta blood with optional black food colouring.
.
A series of experiments completed during my artists’ residency at the NOMADIC VILLAGE 2012
.
Self portrait of the archetypal image of Sheela-Na-Gig in B/W, Earth, Air, Fire & Water.
.
“The Sheela-na-gig is a figure from medieval stone carvings of the British Isles (mostly Ireland), of a grinning woman holding open Her vulva. She is regarded by some as a gargoyle-like figure meant as a medieval allegory of lust, or as a magical figure meant to cure infertility in women, but others have seen in Her an echo of the ancient Irish earth mother.The vulva as holy symbol of birth and life is a very ancient idea that symbolizes the life-giving and regenerative powers of the Earth Mother”
.
.
More Placenta experiments…. read on!
To date I have done the following with Placenta…
- PLACENTA PRINTING using the blood still inside the bag
- Painted SHEELA-NA-GIG images with placenta blood and black food colouring
- SHEELA-NA-GIG lino prints using placenta blood and black food colouring – also made ‘Thank You’ cards with the lino cut for my “Blessing Way Sisters”
- Made PLACENTA RAWHIDE from the Amniotic Sac
- Made the artistic piece “A WOMB WITH A VIEW”
- Cooked the rest – PLACENTA BOURGUIGNON!
- Had a lively discussion about eating placenta and cannibalism – “Be careful! I know you taste delicious!”
- Made PLACENTA SKIN BABY BOOTIES
- Made PLACENTA SKIN “FUNKY-BABY” DISCO BOOTIES
- SOCK MONKEY with dried placenta in the stuffing – “FERTILITY COSMIC CONFIRMATION FETISH”
- I added the umbilical clamp which still has attached to it some of Max’s dried umbilical cord – I added this to the other charms/ tokens inside “THE ‘HAREY’ PURSE” – SHAMANIC ROADKILL FERTILITY FETISH OBJECT
- PLACENTA SKIN KEYRING – with Hare’s Tail & Foot. The Tail and Foot are from the same animal that made the “HAREY PURSE” above.
.
….. as long as there are bits left, I will keeping adding to this list! ‘Follow’ my blog-site and watch this space! I will keep updating as I go along!
.
“PREOCCUPIED with PLACENTAS”
My Experimental Adventures Making Beautiful Things from Placenta
.
.
Even before I became pregnant, I knew that I would do something special with it.
Lino Prints
.
.
Block printing using a lino tile and placenta blood. Nomadic Village 2012.
I then made some block prints using a lino tile I had cut just days before the birth. The image was that of the Sheela-Na-Gig image that helped me through labour. I made pencil rubbings of the tile and created thank-you cards for my ‘Blessing-way Sisters’ who had nurtured me beautifully.
.
PLACENTA ART & COOKERY
.
As with a lot of my work, I aspire to gently push the viewer, including myself, to question preconceptions and socio-cultural taboos by creating something beautiful and compelling from something dead and/or socially repulsive.
.
.
Look out for blogs on my other ART projects – SHAMANIC ROADKILL CAPE, PLACENTA ART & COOKERY, PLACENTA BOOTIES, PLACENTA DISCO-BOOTIES, SHAMANIC SHAKTI BEAVER MERKIN, ANTI BADGER-CULL TRIP-TIC, ROADKILL SQUIRREL TESTICLE EARRINGS , BURNING-MAN ASARO MUD-FAMILY PERFORMANCE ART & JAPANESE WISHING TREE
Alison Brierley 