DEATH'S DUEL

2018, Mixed Media

Death’s Duel is an exploration of spiritual transformation and the human desire to seek higher spiritual knowledge and eternal life. Drawing from both the physical and philosophical components of alchemy, it analyses this desire that seems to be inbuilt into humankind. It attempts to convey a sense of transformation and refinement as seen in the alchemical process and in the Christian life as human mind, heart and soul are transformed to be godlier. It is named after John Donne’s sermon Death’s Duel, which uses the practise of alchemy as a metaphor of Jesus’ role in transforming humanity into spiritual gold.

The work consists of three shelves, each with 80 ceramic cups that symbolise a person’s spiritual journey and reference the Biblical metaphor of cups as a vessel containing a person’s eternal fate. As the vessels get higher on the shelves, they become progressively more refined, depicting improvement and transformation in goodness. They also appear to be closer to the heavens the higher they are. This therefore makes them harder to reach, suggesting that few reach this level of refinement.

A sense of repeated experiment and failure is important to the work, exploring the human desire to find a way to live forever. Three books depict the maker’s log of the cups as they were made and the repeated attempts that were made to achieve eternal life. The fate of the drinker as the outcome of each experiment is listed, almost always being of facing wrath. The remaining cups contain grace, given from God as the only way to achieve eternal life.