Zachariah Fenn
Bachelor of Fine Arts
Voyager
Photographic documentation of performance.
White protective coverall suit, farmers friends.
Performance and video created on field trip to Smith's Lake, May 2013.
The white coverall suit which is intended to prevent the body from toxins, chemicals or other industrial waste is repurposed to accumulate natural detritus. Burrs from a notorious introduced species of weed, the 'Farmer's friend' (Bidens pilosa) are a bushwalker's worst nightmare and avoided at all costs. I liken them to sin, a spiritual weed introduced at the Fall of mankind. In a contemporary context they also reflect the poor, needy and sinful people who are often shunned or avoided in society. The enactment of attracting these burrs rather than simply avoiding them is a reference to the selfless act of Jesus Christ. He was a friend of sinners, and laid on himself every sin we have ever committed.
'For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.' - 2 Corinthians 5:19
'He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.' - 1 John 2:2
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