Margate is full of caves as a result of the smugglers operating in the 18th century. Most have been divided up into smaller sections and one of these happened to be accessed via a trap door in the kitchen floor of the artists rental flat in Hawley Square.
Quarantore is a Roman Catholic liturgical action in which continuous prayer is made for forty hours before the Blessed Sacrament. The number of hours principally refers to the time that Christ's Body remained in the tomb, thus it was originally practiced as part of the Paschal Triduum (Easter weekend) in the 12th Century.
Consequently, in 2024 inspired by Rupert Sheldrake’s proposition of darkness as ‘a way to go beyond’, Henri Michaux’s documentation of his mescaline adventures and the austere life of Julian of Norwich - whilst Christ’s body lay entombed Saint moved into the darkness of the cave under their flat. Over the subsequent 40 hours in the subterranean landscape they forged a lightless underground darkroom and studio, a silent space to engage in deep prayer. In an act of supplication they appealed to God to manifest on paper.
FIRST EDITION ARTIST BOOKS:
A limited run of 10 signed copies of the first released chapter of Saint's upcoming book Sainte-terre-er are available to purchase. The chapter details the 40 Hours Devotion (Cave Christ) performance and its Relics. The 32 page book contains several previously unseen images of The Cave as well as reproductions of The Relics. Please e-mail Grace Saint to purchase a copy.
Signed First Edition £40 4 sold 6 remaining
Test Copy £20 SOLD OUT
Abstract
Sainte-terre-er presents a deeply personal exploration of Christian faith in relation to queerness underpinned by the all consuming nature of grief. Using the traditional framing of The Holy Trinity the methodology is one of relabelling and reappropriating this framework. The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit become The Queer, The Christian and The Rat. The central point of God is replaced by The Artist - The Creator. The methodology is clear in the fact that this is not a pilgrimage, there is no predetermined goal and no retreat to starting point, the aim is an even encompassing of my artistic methodology whereby the elements of my trinity are separate equal and whole. Non-denominational in faith and non-binary in gender identity the work seeks to both demonstrate and question how controversial ideas and elements can fluidly coexist and contribute to evolving LGBTQ+ Christian communities. Navigating Christian faith deconstruction for the institutionally ostracised, the artistic practice engages audiences with emotional intimacy and often humour to challenge the conservative institutional values aiming to share divine moments of Truth rather than perpetuating fear.
The writing style is a frottage. There are disruptions of spontaneous vocalisation and unconventional text in the form of self-centred-quotes resembling glossolalia. In Christian Pentecostal traditions, glossolalia is understood as divine communication, bypassing ordinary language to allow a deeper connection with the sacred. The texts fragmentation is reminiscent of Hélène Cixous and Jacques Derrida’s understanding of a traumatised persons ability to convey their experiences in coherent and linear ways. This mirrors trauma’s ineffability but reframes it as transcendent rather than pathological.
