Vol. 1 / Issue 1
A literary and cultural review journal
Vol. 2 / Issue 3
Lucy Churchill
Stone Carver
"My carvings were initially very private - a cathartic act of release that helped me reconcile with my body after years of trauma and numbness. Wanting to be part of the change initiated by the #MeToo movement and encouraged by my daughters, I shared this highly personal work of mine on Instagram - the response was immediate and powerful. By expressing my feelings with such stark truthfulness, I’ve found my work emboldens others to tell their own stories, often for the first time."
Sacred Wound
I created these votive sculptures as a private act of reconciliation with my body. They were an integral part of my healing process.
Vulval Madonna Anasyrma
Women are not encouraged by society to have a healthy relationship with their own body. Despite being constantly sexualised in popular culture, the burden of shame is almost always placed on us alone. Shame around our outward appearance, and the parts of us that are most private, potent and taboo - our vulvas and vaginas; We feel shame after unwillingly enduring sexual abuse, or for becoming pregnant or not becoming pregnant, or not giving birth. Women’s body autonomy is once again a political issue, no longer seen as a universal right but a matter of debate, our wellbeing increasingly dictated, to our detriment, by men.
Birth Death Rebirth
"I carved this in honour of my mother, and all mothers, stretching back to the birth of human existence. I spent time with my mother at the end of her life, and noted the same trance state of breathing that women engage in during childbirth. This gave me a profound appreciation of the Sheela-Na-Gigs adorning ancient churches. These striking, skull-headed female figures hold their vulvas open as a portal, indicating the cyclical nature of life, death and rebirth."
Harpy
"Sometimes it’s necessary to express intense anger! Female rage existed throughout time, but it’s interesting to see how mythological depictions of it became subverted and distorted with the rise of patriarchy."
"I find a lot of strength and inspiration in looking at our ancient past; Sculptural artefacts created during the first 5000 years of human existence, show exclusively celebratory depictions of women. In these troubled times it’s deeply comforting to know that patriarchy is a relatively recent movement – society has not always been this way, and it’s not inevitable or unchangeable, now or in the future."
A commissioned statue of Mary Magdalene for a children’s school.
"Often depicted as a beautiful woman of frail virtue, lost in self-absorption or consumed by remorse, I wanted to focus on her strength and steadfast loyalty. I sculpted a woman who looks sturdy enough to remain by her friend’s side throughout his agonising final hours (when the male apostles had fled in fear). Mary Magdalene seems to me to be the perfect symbol of courage and friendship.
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Even though I didn’t see myself as a feminist sculptor when I created these artworks, I can see that my desire to represent women’s strength was always there."
"Because I am trained in the forensic study and reconstruction of ancient artefacts, I felt duty bound to tackle the only undisputed life-time portrait of the controversial Tudor queen, Anne Boleyn. Even before I found my own voice, I wanted to give Anne hers.
After her husband, Henry VIII, ordered her execution he insisted that every image of Anne should be destroyed. All that survived for certain is a single portrait, commissioned to celebrate her short-lived pregnancy. It represents the height of her good fortune and the turning point of her brief reign.
The prototype medal showed unsightly damage due to careless storage, but thankfully the compression was superficial and enough intricate detail remained to create a faithful reconstruction.
Famous for her wit, charm, intelligence and attention to detail, this is how Anne Boleyn wished to be seen in 1534. Contrary to modern day film depictions, but true to contemporary eye-witness accounts, Anne Boleyn ‘was not the most beautiful woman at court’. The image shows a woman with a longish face and rather pronounced features, with her arms akimbo striking a pose of confidence and power."
Lucy Churchill is a feminist sculptor, who broke away from her roots in the wake of the #MeToo movement. Classically trained as a historic stone carver her work adorns some of Britain’s grandest houses (including Windsor Castle), cathedrals and public spaces. Bespoke headstones and memorials gave imagery to other people’s stories . After 25 years of highly-skilled but anonymous work, Lucy Churchill is now a vocal campaigner against sexual abuse using her original taboo-breaking artwork to prompt discussion. She lives and works in York, England. Fore more of Lucy's work: Instagram; Website