10.1.20 Amulets in my practice
'Amulet, also called Talisman, an object, either natural or man-made, believed to be endowed with special powers to protect or bring good fortune. Amulets are carried on the person or kept in the place that is the desired sphere of influence--e.g., on a roof or in a field. The terms amulet and talisman are often used interchangeably, but a talisman is sometimes defined as an engraved amulet.' (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2020)
'An amulet is a device, the purpose of which is to protect, but by magical and not physical means. A lump of meteorite worn against gunfire is an amulet, a bullet -proof vest is not. ' (Paine, 2004, p 10)
It seems to me that the tokens and messages that people brought and tied to the Wishing trees were rather like amulets, or objects of ritual. Designer Louise Schenk describes 'ritualism as an inherent quality of objects... As self-contained compositions of matter and in their positioning within our culture, objects are innately ritualistic. Through function they are active, and support our pursuit of equilibrium. We hold them, come into contact with them, and become invested in them corporeally. Through our choosing to own or use them, objects gain deliberateness. And they remind us of our convictions when we are attentive to the myths they represent. ... In ritual, objects are mediators. They influence and improve human experience... (Schenk, 2011)
In her dissertation Ritual objects Louise Schenk aka Smith also says: 'If fertilized with myth, with a role in mediation or with deliberateness, (objects) will inevitably come to life in ritual.' It feels as if all those messages and tokens brought and tied to the Wishing trees were deliberate acts of hopefulness and connection, which fostered further connection. Each addition amplified the importance of the objects that had been added before. Some were chosen in direct response to something else that someone had posted on social media or physically tied to the tree. It became a community activity, fuelled by the passing, deliberate and then repetitive visiting and also by social media.
Wishes are usually private, but here they were largely made public, again another act of bringing a community together. The written wishes were often about staying safe from the virus, hoping for something or remembering someone who had died. They came in all shapes, colours and forms - on labels, scraps of paper and card, with drawings, stitch, on ribbon and plastic. Each wish was an object in it's own right and most had been deliberately thought about and made before visiting the respective tree.
Many other people brought objects and attached them to the tree. No words, just a three dimensional thing. These were extremely varied and some had taken much thought and labour to make - complex crocheted bunting, stitched hearts, pompoms. Others were 'ready mades' like ribbons, key rings, kites, balloons, dog poo bags, masks; some of the latter were clearly spur of the moment....but in that moment of tying that object or message to the tree, the participant is becoming part of and amplifying a collective ritual.
This interests me, as does this idea of object as protection, and that 'they come to life in ritual'. Steven Cohen makes amulet-like objects using ballet shoes and objects that have meaning to him from flea markets. These objects provide a backdrop to his performances. Maybe it's something to explore further in my practice?
Encyclopedia Britannica, (2020) Amulet Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/amulet, Accessed: 10 January 2021)
Paine, S. (2004) Amulets: a world of secret powers, charms and magic London: Thames and Hudson
Schenk, L (2011) Ritual objects Available at: http://louiseschenk.com/ritual-objects (Accessed: 10 January 2020)
Smith, C. (2011) Ritual objects, Availabe at: static1.squarespace.com/static/511a8ba5e4b018fb4cb762b8/t/530f3c6de4b04fb5b2ceb6e7/1393507437038/Ritual+Objects-Louise+Schenk.pdf (Accessed: 10 January 2020)
'An amulet is a device, the purpose of which is to protect, but by magical and not physical means. A lump of meteorite worn against gunfire is an amulet, a bullet -proof vest is not. ' (Paine, 2004, p 10)
It seems to me that the tokens and messages that people brought and tied to the Wishing trees were rather like amulets, or objects of ritual. Designer Louise Schenk describes 'ritualism as an inherent quality of objects... As self-contained compositions of matter and in their positioning within our culture, objects are innately ritualistic. Through function they are active, and support our pursuit of equilibrium. We hold them, come into contact with them, and become invested in them corporeally. Through our choosing to own or use them, objects gain deliberateness. And they remind us of our convictions when we are attentive to the myths they represent. ... In ritual, objects are mediators. They influence and improve human experience... (Schenk, 2011)
In her dissertation Ritual objects Louise Schenk aka Smith also says: 'If fertilized with myth, with a role in mediation or with deliberateness, (objects) will inevitably come to life in ritual.' It feels as if all those messages and tokens brought and tied to the Wishing trees were deliberate acts of hopefulness and connection, which fostered further connection. Each addition amplified the importance of the objects that had been added before. Some were chosen in direct response to something else that someone had posted on social media or physically tied to the tree. It became a community activity, fuelled by the passing, deliberate and then repetitive visiting and also by social media.
Wishes are usually private, but here they were largely made public, again another act of bringing a community together. The written wishes were often about staying safe from the virus, hoping for something or remembering someone who had died. They came in all shapes, colours and forms - on labels, scraps of paper and card, with drawings, stitch, on ribbon and plastic. Each wish was an object in it's own right and most had been deliberately thought about and made before visiting the respective tree.
Many other people brought objects and attached them to the tree. No words, just a three dimensional thing. These were extremely varied and some had taken much thought and labour to make - complex crocheted bunting, stitched hearts, pompoms. Others were 'ready mades' like ribbons, key rings, kites, balloons, dog poo bags, masks; some of the latter were clearly spur of the moment....but in that moment of tying that object or message to the tree, the participant is becoming part of and amplifying a collective ritual.
This interests me, as does this idea of object as protection, and that 'they come to life in ritual'. Steven Cohen makes amulet-like objects using ballet shoes and objects that have meaning to him from flea markets. These objects provide a backdrop to his performances. Maybe it's something to explore further in my practice?
Encyclopedia Britannica, (2020) Amulet Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/amulet, Accessed: 10 January 2021)
Paine, S. (2004) Amulets: a world of secret powers, charms and magic London: Thames and Hudson
Schenk, L (2011) Ritual objects Available at: http://louiseschenk.com/ritual-objects (Accessed: 10 January 2020)
Smith, C. (2011) Ritual objects, Availabe at: static1.squarespace.com/static/511a8ba5e4b018fb4cb762b8/t/530f3c6de4b04fb5b2ceb6e7/1393507437038/Ritual+Objects-Louise+Schenk.pdf (Accessed: 10 January 2020)