eros and thanatos
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My Artwork - Some viewers may find the contents disturbingTRANSCRIPT
EROS AND THANATOS
Rosina Godwin
“The aim of all life is death”
Sigmund Freud (1920)
In Greek mythology Eros is the god of love, Aphrodite’s mischievous son who interferes in the
lives of mortals to create illicit bonds; while Thanatos is the personification of death - peaceful, albeit
merciless and indiscriminate.
However, in Sigmund Freud’s Beyond the Pleasure Principle (1920), Eros refers to life and Thanatos to
death. Freud believed that humans have an unconscious desire to return to a state of non-existence, to avoid inherent suffering of life.
Anything Goes (2006)Fabric and found objects
This body of work subverts the homely associations of textiles, to create duplicitous pieces which trick the
viewer. The work contrasts innocence with iniquity, as flies and other metaphors of death are concealed amongst the colourful patterns and embroidery.
Death I (2007)Textiles, felt, thread and found objects
Death II (2009)Textiles, thread and found objects
Death III (2009)Textiles, thread
and found objects
The theme is developed further by playing with the normally naive persona of toys and combining
sweets into ambiguous objects.
The work takes inspiration from Sigmund Freud’s essay The Uncanny (1919); where the canny
implies something that is homely and friendly, while the uncanny denotes a strange object or
experience.
Left to RightTeddy, Doll I, Doll II and Panda (2008)Found objects, sweets, latex and modroc
Inner Self I (2008)Felt, thread, latex and modroc
Inner Self II (2008)Felt, thread, sweets, wax and found objects
Inner Self III (2008)Textiles, Felt, thread, and
found objects
