(above: Goddess Wheel of the Year, prints by Sheila Broun and Shrine inset by Jill Smith)
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STREET SHRINES PROJECT:
Artists putting or performing with shrines on Bath's Georgian streets
STREET SHRINES HONOURING SULIS,
‘WHO’S FLAME NEVER WHITENS INTO ASH.
performed at FAB 2008
A series of shrines over the course of the festival created by a group of artists who are interested in the native British spiritual tradition – and its focus on re-connection with Nature – how we make the land well, and how the land makes us well. In the native British tradition Bath is a major spiritual centre of Britain.
The idea for these shrines was inspired by the information that the pavement outside the Temple of Sulis (in the ‘Roman Baths’) would have extended out into the courtyard now outside the Abbey.
In ancient times Bath was an oracular centre second only to Delphi. Pilgrims would have flocked to Bath – then as now – and there would have been many shrines set up by people to local deities in this courtyard in honour of Sulis, Goddess of Healing and Inspiration.
SHRINE TO NEMETONA. Tues. 3rd – wed, 4th june
Nemetona is the Goddess of trees, and the Sacred Grove, and has been worshipped in Bath since ancient times. There is an altar to Her inside the ‘Roman Baths’. She has been depicted as a young Queen, crowned and veiled, holding an orb and a sceptre. Behind Her stand The Fates.
This shrine incorporates elements of native British trees, weaving the fabric of life, and self reflection. I hope that you will choose some threads from the basket that reflect your own personality, and participate in weaving your own best qualities into the tapestry.
SHRINE TO BRIGHDE. Friday june 6th.
"Brighde is a Goddess of The Flame of Inspiration and is associated with smithcraft and healing wells. I have been deeply involved with the spirit of Brighde for many decades, especially as she manifests in the Western Isles of Scotland, where she is the very energy of the land, and also in Glastonbury in Somerset.
My shrine evolves from materials I have gathered and used to honour Her at many of Her sacred sites, over many years of my life, especially in the Western Isles.
The spiral pathway to and from the shrine will (weather permitting) be a path illuminated by Her inspirational flames. In walking it you will link Her sacred places to Bath, and honour Her, and help to keep the spirit of the land and yourself alive and well, Perhaps you may like to light a flame for Her as well, or add your own gift to the shrine."
The Street Shrine project aims:
-to distract from Bath's 'beige city' image
-to attempt to use street spaces not even thought about
-to make work that is discrete at first glance
-and also to make impact work by choosing a site/object that might be recurring or repeating the same work in many different locations
SHEILA BROUN is a visionary artist and maskmaker, creating work about her experiences of the Goddess and the Wheel of The Year. She relates very closely to trees, to the turn of the seasons, and weather, aiming to re-connect people to the healing power of nature. She has had a close link to Sulis, Nemetona and The Fates throughout her life. She made her first statue to The Fates when she was 7 years old.
JILL SMITH is an artist and poet who believes that the sacred places of the land are linked, and that it is an important role of people to keep these links alive. She feels that the sacred places of the Goddess Brighde are linked to the Goddess and waters of Bath. Maintaining these links helps maintain the well-being of the land, and all that lives on it. In the past she has physically walked the land, linking sacred place to sacred place by the path of her walking.
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Jill Smith’s work
