A Contemporary Feminine Divine
: utilising female presentation in Grecian Myth to articulate a deeper understanding of home and the domestic

  • Holly Moffat-Hardy

Student thesis: Master's ThesisMaster of Research (awarded by UHI)

Abstract

Lote (intransitive, archaic) To lurk; lie hidden

This written accompaniment to the exhibition Lote also by the author, examines
female representation within Greek myths as a means of reclaiming the body as
home. In it, the author examines how the use of these myths might help the reader to
connect with their inner domestic space—the internal liminal space in our bodies and
minds that shifts and alters in order to manifest the essence of someplace safe,
nourishing, and sheltered. Using an autoethnographic methodology, the author
discusses their own experiences in this field addressing exposure of retained trauma
in the body, and how one might through the observation, abstraction, and creation of
a mythic and divine self, be able to reclaim an inner sense of secure self-identity and
safety. Using secondary sources of classicists and scholars, myths and plays, and
contemporary artists, the author translates the feeling of disturbance/comfort,
uncanny/nourishment, and captivity/autonomy into an experiential guide to aid them
in the discovery of home as self.
This paper can be read alongside the exhibition, and supplementary images have
been included at the end of the text for those unable to attend. The exhibition itself
consists of a series of twelve printed images, two projected images, six heather
sculptures, thirty poems across paper and candles, eight weavings, and some 400+
ceramic figures. Bookending the exhibition is a live performance, in which the author/
artist sits in the centre of the room and weaves. The artworks and following words
are intended as a way of considering what it might mean to delve into the self,
reestablish a connection with Hestia, the Greek goddess of hearth and home, and
accept oneself as a divine mythic being.
Date of Award15 Dec 2022
Original languageEnglish
Awarding Institution
  • University of the Highlands and Islands
SupervisorLindsay Blair (Supervisor) & Andrew Jennings (Supervisor)

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