FREEDOM
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The Goddess Nut II (1990), Nancy Spero.
Photo: Christopher Burke Studio; courtesy Galerie Lelong & Co.; © 2019 |
Detail, The Goddess Nut II (1990)
The Freedom of Flight
“Then I looked up—and there before me were two women, with the wind in their wings! They had wings like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth.” (Zechariah 5:9-11)
In this essay, I’m going to talk about the work of Nancy Spero, and her frieze The Goddess Nut II (1990) referencing the book: Women Who Fly, Goddesses, Witches, Mystics, and other Airborne Females (2018), by Serinity Young. The sky goddess Nut is often depicted in ancient Egyptian art arcing over the earth like an acrobat. Spero adopted her image in a range of works in the early ’90s; in this frieze-like composition, Nut the nude Egyptian goddess of the sky, stars, cosmos, mothers, astronomy, and the universe appears several times, alongside a range of ancient female figures both real and mythical, from musicians to Maenads.
Young’s book is a typology of sky-traveling females and delves into the world’s myths, religions, and iconography to celebrate the diversity of women flying, highlighting commonalities and delineating the religious and social contexts in which the theme of flight developed. The book begins with Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, wings at her feet and develops across a multitude of supernatural women, mythic and real, who travel between earth and sky, or who simply soar through the air presenting an potent image of freedom and transcendence. Though flight can be seen as untrammelled ascension, it can also point to a flight from danger or captivity to a safe place of freedom. Either way Spero and Serinty offer us the opportunity to explore the freedom of flight and its many representations.
For your 500 word assignment consider the moments in your life when you’ve taken flight, either literally, (by plane etc.,) or in your dreams, meditation practice, or imagination. Also, think about the magical folktales, stories, myths, or tales that take you to these places of freedom, and alternatively what brings you back to earth. What do you learn, or remember when you travel? Is the transition back an easy one? Is it possible to be imprisoned and free at the same time? Think of examples...
“Then I looked up—and there before me were two women, with the wind in their wings! They had wings like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth.” (Zechariah 5:9-11)
In this essay, I’m going to talk about the work of Nancy Spero, and her frieze The Goddess Nut II (1990) referencing the book: Women Who Fly, Goddesses, Witches, Mystics, and other Airborne Females (2018), by Serinity Young. The sky goddess Nut is often depicted in ancient Egyptian art arcing over the earth like an acrobat. Spero adopted her image in a range of works in the early ’90s; in this frieze-like composition, Nut the nude Egyptian goddess of the sky, stars, cosmos, mothers, astronomy, and the universe appears several times, alongside a range of ancient female figures both real and mythical, from musicians to Maenads.
Young’s book is a typology of sky-traveling females and delves into the world’s myths, religions, and iconography to celebrate the diversity of women flying, highlighting commonalities and delineating the religious and social contexts in which the theme of flight developed. The book begins with Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, wings at her feet and develops across a multitude of supernatural women, mythic and real, who travel between earth and sky, or who simply soar through the air presenting an potent image of freedom and transcendence. Though flight can be seen as untrammelled ascension, it can also point to a flight from danger or captivity to a safe place of freedom. Either way Spero and Serinty offer us the opportunity to explore the freedom of flight and its many representations.
For your 500 word assignment consider the moments in your life when you’ve taken flight, either literally, (by plane etc.,) or in your dreams, meditation practice, or imagination. Also, think about the magical folktales, stories, myths, or tales that take you to these places of freedom, and alternatively what brings you back to earth. What do you learn, or remember when you travel? Is the transition back an easy one? Is it possible to be imprisoned and free at the same time? Think of examples...