ongoing
In order for a catholic church to be deemed as official by the catholic church, there must be an officiated relic at the altar. Most relics are either first class or second class. First class is physical remains of a saint such as : blood, hair, teeth, bones, etch. Second class is anything that physically touched the saint or was of significance: think cuttings from the clothes they wore, a sword they used, rocks from their place of birth, even splinters from the crucifixion.
The case that holds these relics is called a “reliquary”. Historically, these reliquaries were made of solid gold and ornamented wth the finest of gems and crystals, for they must be of high value if they are to contain something so holy and close to the divine. The purpose of these reliquaries is to provide the proper staging or discourse for objects to be seen as of significance. The reliquaries add legitimacy to the relic.
They signal to the viewer that although the reliquary is solid gold with diamonds and rubies, its value vanishes in the presence of a relic. Without this framing device, the relics have to fight to prove their legitimacy. A hair on the floor is insignificant until its enclosed in a reliquary.
Walter Benjamin argued that original artworks have an aura that cannot be replicated no matter how good the mechanical reproductions are. It’s why we still want to see the Mona Lisa despite having access to 4k images of her from every possible angel. There’s nothing that can compete to witnessing the actual artwork in person. To witness the brush strokes, smell the paint, see how light hits the pigments differently, how your body feels in relation to the work. There’s no denying the power certain works or objects have when you are in their presence.
I thought that relics were my answer to the simulacra, for it was a physical proof that something existed. That their was an origin. This got me thinking a lot about the power we have in categorizing and naming objects. Who’s to say my piss or sand from fire island can’t be considered sacred? Must everything be cosigned by the catholic church in order to be sacred? Additionally, theres no way to actually prove any of these claims.
Going to a museum and seeing a lipstick hits different when you read and learn that its the last lipstick Marilyn Monroe wore before her tragic death. The context dramatically shifts the moment you become aware of whats in front of you thanks to the wall text. The reliquaries similarly serve this function.
However, my question of authenticity was never answered. We don’t know if thats actually a stone from the birth place of a saint, or the lipstick Marilyn actually wore, or whatever is in the case. The reliquary is saying “believe me”, so we do. Ergo, if someone learns how to expertly simulate a reliquary, in theory they can forge their own relics and be able to still claim authenticity since they can produce the stamp of approval.
The whole system is now in threat of collapsing in on itself. Perhaps thats ok.
48”x48”
Materials
- wood,
- velvet
- steel
- reliquaries
- found relics
- forged relics
- 24k gold
Steel Sponosred by Louie Tozser