Janet Corran - Boneman
Festivals provide a sense of community and identity and are often occasions for people to come together and celebrate the shared heritage of the place they call home.
This double-sided sculpture is derived from Janet’s involvement with the Manx Fire Festivals and builds on her early memories of the Peel Viking Festivals. ‘Boneman’ is a character Janet has played several times in Peel and is the Winter Queen’s shaman, healer, Caillagh and crone, ‘An emblem of the deformity of winter’. Whereas Flora, who is a summer character, is the protector and nurturer of the plant kingdom. The winter and summer characters fight it out in mock battles; with winter winning at Oie Houney (October) Festival and summer winning at Oie Voaldyn (May) Festival. These concepts taken from old Manx traditions are part of the culture of Janet’s home, the Isle of Man, and take place in her beloved Peel.
Janet has always associated the summer folk with light; their costumes are bright, floral, frivolous and fairy like. Whereas the costumes of the winter folk are dark, heavy wool and animal fur and in Boneman’s case, horns and bones. Consequently, good and evil comes to mind. These festivals involve the whole community and the ideas and costumes are creations of volunteering local people, who have contributed to the shaping of the festival.
The ceramic sculpture has two sides, representing ‘Winter’ (Boneman) on one side and ‘Summer’ (Flora) on the other. The concept is that summer will follow winter. This can be seen by placing the Flora side in front of a mirror, so that we only see her reflection. The characters could be reversed but in this piece of art Boneman faces outwards. Firstly because of his strong character and Flora appearing to follow subserviently and secondly because having played this character herself, Janet holds him dear. In addition, summer following winter fits in with the time of year for the ‘Home’ exhibition, as from the end of October onwards it will be winter but the sculpture could be turned in May.
Janet saw an image of Mephistopheles and Margaretta (by an unknown artist) in the Salar jung museum in Hyderabad India. Initially it gave her a jolt as it played a trick with her brain. She really hopes that the Boneman sculpture will do the same to its audience.
Medium: ceramic
Dimensions: 32 x 15 cm (excl. mirror)
This double-sided sculpture is derived from Janet’s involvement with the Manx Fire Festivals and builds on her early memories of the Peel Viking Festivals. ‘Boneman’ is a character Janet has played several times in Peel and is the Winter Queen’s shaman, healer, Caillagh and crone, ‘An emblem of the deformity of winter’. Whereas Flora, who is a summer character, is the protector and nurturer of the plant kingdom. The winter and summer characters fight it out in mock battles; with winter winning at Oie Houney (October) Festival and summer winning at Oie Voaldyn (May) Festival. These concepts taken from old Manx traditions are part of the culture of Janet’s home, the Isle of Man, and take place in her beloved Peel.
Janet has always associated the summer folk with light; their costumes are bright, floral, frivolous and fairy like. Whereas the costumes of the winter folk are dark, heavy wool and animal fur and in Boneman’s case, horns and bones. Consequently, good and evil comes to mind. These festivals involve the whole community and the ideas and costumes are creations of volunteering local people, who have contributed to the shaping of the festival.
The ceramic sculpture has two sides, representing ‘Winter’ (Boneman) on one side and ‘Summer’ (Flora) on the other. The concept is that summer will follow winter. This can be seen by placing the Flora side in front of a mirror, so that we only see her reflection. The characters could be reversed but in this piece of art Boneman faces outwards. Firstly because of his strong character and Flora appearing to follow subserviently and secondly because having played this character herself, Janet holds him dear. In addition, summer following winter fits in with the time of year for the ‘Home’ exhibition, as from the end of October onwards it will be winter but the sculpture could be turned in May.
Janet saw an image of Mephistopheles and Margaretta (by an unknown artist) in the Salar jung museum in Hyderabad India. Initially it gave her a jolt as it played a trick with her brain. She really hopes that the Boneman sculpture will do the same to its audience.
Medium: ceramic
Dimensions: 32 x 15 cm (excl. mirror)