Into Limbo
Susan Beniston
October 19, 1988 – April 15, 1989
Susan Beniston, Into Limbo, 1988; lead, steel, bronze, aluminum, copper; 9 figure conglomerates; Reclining Figure, 13' L x 55" H x 40" W. Steel Cables, 4, each ½" diameter x 100 L. Scales: 2, each 15' diameter x 5'L x 4' D. Round Cage: 15' diameter x 7 ½' D x 7 ½' H
Artist Statement
In my work, human gesture and fragmented forms symbolize expression and emotive states. The challenge is to discover the essential gesture which will create both form and content in order to establish a delicate balance between the two.
Into Limbo is a thematic work which characterizes the descent or journey to the spiritual world and into the psychological 'well' known as the unconscious. As reference, it draws upon eclectic adaptations of Christian symbolism, Dante's Inferno, Jungian theories, and the 'prima materia' elements of alchemy (gold, silver, copper, lead and iron). These components are integrated into one philosophical and structural entity.
A primary theological reference for the work was the towering spire of St. James' Cathedral which dominates the entrance to the site. Conceptually, the Garden's gateways evoke the portals of Limbo, while the set of muscular bronze arms mounted on the eastern wall represents one of the ancient Christian gestures of supplication or prayer. These arms hold symbolic scales of justice which will be used to weigh the souls, the hearts, the intellects and the consciences of the deceased - with complete impartiality - on the days of atonement.
Water has special significance for the descent Into Limbo. In Christian baptismal rites it is the ritual cleanser of sin and in alchemy 'aqua doctrinae' (higher water) and 'aqua abyssi' (lower water) are similarly divine elements. Water also symbolizes human nature and communication and, in its complexity, speaks to us with countless audible rhythms in flowing and dormant states. Its source is represented by the waterfall and it finds expression in the temporality of falling water and frozen snow.
The figurative conglomerates, which I perceive as 'human roots', emerge from the trees and from above and below the Earth's surface. These body aggregates express a range of emotional states and represent the rational soul lost within the various transitional realms defining Limbo.
The powerful metal cables dissecting the Garden represent lines of energy, gravity and the transmutation of alchemical materials. The hands which grasp these cables are subtle guides which lead the viewer carefully and steadily Into Limbo.
