This enterprise is for the raising of funds for an art project in the advanced stages of development that requires cash for hiring the venue and material costs.
Overview
The exhibition consists of a collection of 2D and 3D works and a performance piece. As well as existing as individual pieces the artworks are held together conceptually by their portrayal of a fictional cult known as ‘The Sanctuary of Nyx’, the installation arranged as their place of worship and the performance presented as their religious ceremonies.
The cult will be described as an obscure pseudo-religious underground group established by a fictional pharmacist and mystic, Dr Voynitsky. The exhibition and performance will contain elements of Gothic aesthetics, mystical practice, apocalypse myth, psychoanalysis, entheogenology, psychedelic rock, choral music, and the worship of symbolic deities.
The imagery of the intricate scratch paintings is stark and foreboding, heavy with atmosphere and mystery. It fuses its eclectic array of cultural influences into a rich and idiosyncratic visual world, presenting the plausible mythology and semiotics of the fictional cult.
Within the performance Dr Voynitsky is shown to be treating the initiates of the group as patients as well as disciples, the therapeutic application of religion used as a device to examine the spiritual crisis of the secular age. The narrative of the cult’s sinister practices and alternative values explores the notion of the innate criminality of certain religious movements in their early stages, from the revolutionary beginnings of Christianity to the radical spirituality of 20th century groups such as the League for Spiritual Discovery, Synanon and The Church of Satan.
Breakdown of Elements
Exhibition:
A chapel installation with decorative furniture and paintings, including: Lectern (Of the Preachers of Death), The Alchemists Desk, Pews, Notice Board, Shrine to Nyx, Denouement (large painting), The City of Sodom (large painting), The Wandering of Usheen (triptych), series of small Icon paintings, Draperies, Candelabra, Censer, Monstrance, Ritual Objects.
Performance:
A series of performances will take place within the exhibition over its run. These will consist of a dramatic portrayal of the cult’s ceremonies and practices. The cast will consist of actors portraying Dr Voynitsky, The Priestess of Nyx, and various cult members, a group of musicians performing an original score with influences from traditional religious music fused with psychedelic rock and doom metal, and a small choir singing the hymns of the group.
Elements will include: the inducement of trance states, the oration of revelatory wisdom, the psychological use of ‘transcendental’ music and ritualised movement, and the use of costume and masks to invoke various deities of the cult’s scripture.
The performance will be filmed for the purposes of documentation and publicity. The build up to the show is being shot and directed by Ed Thomson as a separate documentary film.
The owner of this project has not made any updates yet.
