The Kneeler

The Kneeler; Delivery Device by Pamela Joseph with Kurosh ValaNejad
Sound by Liliana Mejia and Pamela Joseph, Enclosure by Stephen Hues

Multimedia, multi-sensory, interactive, stereoscopic installation

Delivery Device:  4’ wide x 5’ deep x 5’ high
Enclosure:  5” wide x 7” deep x 8’7” high

ARTIST STATEMENT by Pamela Joseph, 2006

As often with my work, separate parts come together over time to make a complete statement.

I have had a long-standing interest in women and their place in contemporary society, their power or lack of it, and their relationship to the world around them. Over the past few years, my work has also explored different religious issues, especially the Madonna. The Virgin Mary has been an intense attraction for me.  I was raised as a Catholic, and she was the ultimate symbol of feminine perfection.

I bought the kneeler in 2003.  I was drawn to its textures and sense of history.  At the time I had no idea how it would manifest in an artwork.

La Voce Dell'innocenza (2003) by Pamela Joseph
Watercolor, Gouache, and Ink on Paper, 20 x 14 in.
from The Adventures of Pussy Marshmallow, 2001-2003.

I painted the Pussy Madonna image as part of a series of comic book covers in 2003 while I was a Visiting Artist at the American Academy in Rome.  It was there that I became especially aware of the sympathetic juxtaposition of the sacred and the profane:  erotic scrims on buildings would be backdrops for provocative Bernini sculptures, or a Virgin Shrine enclosed in neon would be next to a suggestive movie poster.

Pussy Marshmallow is my alter ego, a woman who audaciously dares to break the rules in the game of the sexes.  Here she is reborn as the Savior Christ child, resting in the arms of the Virgin Mary while winged fairies soar and the putenesca (means 'whore' in Italian) burns in hell.

This stereo pair can be viewed in 3D by crossing your eyes
  RIGHT                                                     LEFT

I have worked with Kurosh ValaNejad on a wide range of projects since 1992.  Kurosh suggested turning the Pussy painting into a 3-D stereoscopic display.  He executed the separation of layers, producing the right eye image.  

Diagram for Mirror Box (a.k.a. Hyperviewer) and Light Box

Kurosh designed the lightbox and drew the diagram for the mirror box.  The intricate mirror box was fabricated by proportionally scaling a similar historic contraptions. I have always been fascinated with the idea of the phrase “They did it with mirrors”, the conflict and the indecision of what is real or merely illusion.  We engaged in our usual dialogue to further develop the piece.

The dialogue in the sound design is based on my personal experiences and memories. Sound artist Liliana Mejia took my words and wove them into a sound design of music, fire and wings. Her response to the color pink in the painting helped provoke the final score.

The Kneeler Enclosure (2006) by Stephen Hues
Wood frame, leather straps, 2-sided velvet curtain
 5ft. wide x 7ft. deep x 8ft. 8in. tall

Exhibit Advertising

WIRING DIAGRAM with ELECTRICAL REQUIREMENTS

The Kneeler requires outlets to support a Mac Mini computer,
a Subwoofer/Amplifier with 2 Speakers, a Light Box