FORGIVENESS

THE GOOD MOTHER (detail), 2003, LOUISE BOURGEOIS
Fabric, thread, stainless steel, wood and glass. 109.2 x 45.7 x 38.1 cm.
The Stitch of Forgiveness

‘Time – time lived, time forgotten, time shared. What does time inflict – dust and disintegration? My reminiscences help me live in the present, and I want them to survive. I am a prisoner of my emotions. You have to tell your story, and you have to forget your story. You forget and forgive. It liberates you.’ (Bourgeois, 2009)

Philosopher and psychoanalyst Julia Kristeva describes forgiveness as the suspension of judgment. “It is the act by which one forbids judging and stops time, which proceeds toward vengeance” (2000, 281). She goes on to ask: “Is God the only one capable of stopping time, of no longer judging, of allowing someone a beginning, or can human beings do this too?” She breaks down the French verb pardoner which is usually translated as “forgiveness,” to “par-don” to mean “completely giving” or “a thorough giving.” Following in the steps of St. Augustine and Hannah Arendt, Kristeva considers “pardon” to be a second birth that gives rise to a new temporality and a new self. Her psychoanalytical concept of forgiveness stops time, breaks the cycle of trauma, violence and vengeance and creates a space for hope, reconciliation and peace.

The artist, Louise Bourgeois, addresses a similar relationship between forgiveness and a new temporality in her textile work, where she uses the needle to repair the damage and create something new. "I’ve always had a fascination with the needle, the magic power of the needle. The needle is used to repair the damage. It’s claim to forgiveness. It is never aggressive, it’s not a pin” (Louise Bourgeois cited in: Robert Storr, Intimate Geometries: The Art and Life of Louise Bourgeois, London 2016, p. 526).

For your 500 word assignment, please read Julia Kristeva’s interview below, and review Louise Bourgeois’ images to describe what forgiveness means for you. “Is God the only one capable of stopping time, of no longer judging, of allowing someone a beginning, or can human beings do this too?” (Kristeva, 2002). If so, what forms of reparation, creative or otherwise would you consider appropriate forgiveness, and in what circumstances?