TABOOS PERPETUATE VIOLENCE
The work developed from 2019 onward, and is protected by BONO and international copyright laws.
GONG TEPPE, 2019 – in process, addresses domesticity, exoticism, appropriation, power, gender, work, ritual, and the sacred with a handcraft carpet hung as a gong, telling the stories of domestic abuse survivors. Eastern religions, such as Shinto and Buddhism have become culturally appropriated in Western cultures, during horrific WWII tragedies and during technocratic time of the internet, posing several polemic concerns on the sacred and profane. Further, Teppe means a warm cover in Norwegian. When said aloud, often confused with the word Tepe, such as the infamous Göbekli Tepe. Gongs are commonly used to purify aether in spiritual practices. Stories of survivors can be played through an audible soundtrack by installing speakers into the sculpture. The Gong Teppe can be beaten to take out the dust “swept under the rug” with branches in a filmed performance to evoke histories of “witch-hunting” societies often do to the most vulnerable. This performance can be recorded and exhibited where shipping costs are not possible. A proposal for poisonous plant drawings/paintings to be hung in the room around the Gong Teppe further addresses issues of beauty, toxicity, misuse, and knowledge production. Gong Teppe_PDF
History of works by year. https://mariamman.net/bio. 23kilos of Dutch wool and sketches of the work I seek support for.
Contact mariammanart@icloud.com