Gail Sneddon

GODDESS is inspired by the artwork The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago; widely regarded as the first epic feminist artwork. In this work, 39 historical female figures sit at elaborate place settings around a triangular table. I became particularly focused on the pre-history side of the table which is represented by seven place settings depicting mythic or legendary female figures. These settings are intended to symbolise societies which were typified by the widespread worship of the Goddess. 

 

I was immediately drawn to this work. However, spending time with it, a question arose:

 

Where is the presence of dance amongst these legendary females?

 

Having relocated to Findhorn, with its rich history in sacred dance originating from these pre-patriarchal societies, I was keen to discover more about early ritual dance. One of the things that became clear very quickly was that the elements and the power of the earth run as strong themes through both the sacred dances of early societies and the stories of the original Goddesses.

 

My vision for GODDESS is a large-scale performance/video installation that will draw inspiration from these dances and the power of the elements represented within them.