WITCH RIDING TO SABBATH - screen printed backpatch with silver ink on black canvas
Catastrophes, epidemics and wars like the Black Death or the Hunderd Years' War challenged the faith of the people living during the late Middle Ages in Europe to such an extent, that the dangerous belief of someone having to be responsible for all these calamities began to take root. Since the Fall of Men (for which a women was seen responsible) women were seen as temptresses and the ones to easily fall under the spell of the Devil. To condemn all women possessing ancient knowledge that wasn't part of the Christian world was the most evident explanation for the small minded – how else could these women possess such an amount of knowledge and the power to heal if not with the help of some mighty, non-earthly being – namely the Devil himself? The conclusion seemed perfectly logical for the uneducated population and the misogynistic clergymen. What the human fantasy made of this idea of women, that made a pact with the Devil, was appalling and appealing at the same time: With the unchristian powers that the Devil gave those “witches” they were able to fly so they could all easily access the witches' gatherings that were called “Sabbaths” and where these women (occasionally also some men) worshiped the Devil while practicing all sorts of acts that were prohibited and seen as condemnable by the church. Next to broomsticks that were the most popular flying tool, there are also depictions of women riding on a goat to the witches' Sabbath – for the goat was seen as the counterpart of the sheep, that denote christian devotion, as can be read in the Gospel of Matthew. In a non-religious, modern context the witch symbolizes the epitome of the autonomous and self- determined human being that is on the one hand side in ease with nature and her/his physical needs and desires and on the other striving to access spiritual knowledge and insight into transcendental mysteries.
ca. 32 x 32 cm / ca. 12,6 x 12,6 inches. This patch is designed by myself and screen printed by my partner and me in our home. Each patch is printed and cut individually by hand. The colours I use are eco friendly water based screen printing inks, the fabric is black cotton canvas.
IMPORTANT INFO: After they're sewn on the patches are machine-washable at 40°C. To avoid fraying please make sure to fold the edge inward with an iron prior to sewing it on and use stitches that go around the edge (like buttonhole stitches) rather than stitching parallel to the edge.
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