'Inner Light' is a piece that celebrates the life and doings of Nicholas Culpeper, who was a herbalist, botanist and physician in the first half of the 17th Century and had a pharmacy in Shoreditch. Because of his occupation and the time during which he practised, he was, along many others, accused of being a warlock.
The reasons why I picked this historical figure is because he is a man. In textbooks it has always been spoken about women practising witchcraft and that the use of magic was a sign of female insanity. At that time women were mostly housewives and took care of the family and children, a job not considered as any hard work because it is in the female nature to nurture and care. As most were not allowed in schools or had to drop out very young due to their female duties, so, how could they have all this knowledge if not by evil spirits whispering into their ears?
The reasons why I picked this historical figure is because he is a man. In textbooks it has always been spoken about women practising witchcraft and that the use of magic was a sign of female insanity. At that time women were mostly housewives and took care of the family and children, a job not considered as any hard work because it is in the female nature to nurture and care. As most were not allowed in schools or had to drop out very young due to their female duties, so, how could they have all this knowledge if not by evil spirits whispering into their ears?
Because of the history and fairly logical-due-to-the-times explanation as to why the world went mad when women were suddenly coming out as more intelligent than thought of, I find it fascinating that even some men were affected by the witch hunts. Why? How? Similarly to how natural phenomena, such as lightning, used to be explained as Gods being angry at the people, falling ill from sicknesses unidentifiable at the time, was a sign of a curse. Witches were a convenient way to put blame on someone. As the trial progressed, people were burning anyone and everyone, as a way to protect themselves from what they believed was dark spirits.
The construction of this piece is a real size contemporary reimagining of a 17th century pharmacy, inspired by Japanese miniature greenhouse 3D puzzles. It is a fully immersive experience, as the idea is that upon opening the door and entering the building, a ding can be heard and you would be greeted by the voice of the pharmacist. There would then be a full conversation between himself and a customer, accusing him of putting a curse on her. This is historically accurate to how he ended up on a witch trial and gives an inside on how healers were treated back then. Instead of with gratefulness for the help, they were shouted at and forcefully taken away maybe for good, because people could not explain to themselves what was happening to them.
This piece predominantly focuses on an important and often misinterpreted aspect of witchcraft and that is the focus on the inner. The belief that witches and warlocks were insane because they healed from the inside and through nature, rather than science. The idea of the soul, the spirit, is the centre of all people. It is what makes us human and an inseparable part of nature. Connecting with that is believed to be the true source of healing. Through this monument I would like for participants to not simply look at a statue of Nicholas Culpeper as our physical does not make us who we are, it does not tell a story, it is what we keep inside.
The interior of the space:
On the left picture is the floor plan of the whole inside space of the piece.
On the right picture is a corner in the Pharmacy that is filled with herbs, plants, glass bottles. All furniture would be hand crafted out of wood and glass.
On the left picture is the floor plan of the whole inside space of the piece.
On the right picture is a corner in the Pharmacy that is filled with herbs, plants, glass bottles. All furniture would be hand crafted out of wood and glass.
There will be a lot of clutter in sections of the space, as if a fight or struggle has occurred and no one has ever returned back to the space. as audience members enter, it would seem as if they have stumbled upon a scene they should not have witnessed.
As the audience member opens the door, that triggers the audio to start playing. which will then reveal what actually happened here and why everything is so messy. Audience members are allowed to touch and more objects, in order to really explore the place, become familiar with it, almost like detectives, trying to understand a crime scene.
With this I am emphasising the idea of the spiritual. As the body is gone, with the death of the historical figure, his spirit, his story and experiences still live on within the space of the pharmacy. What happened to him is important and is part of a gruesome history that needs to be known.
Demo Audio track that would be triggered by the door being opened:
Performed by Eva Windahl and Arwel Rees-Kay
Performed by Eva Windahl and Arwel Rees-Kay