Photobook Sunday proof read

Trinity
In looking at icons, I focused on the Christian
metaphor of the Trinity as one that can be used to
imagine god as a pattern, as plural, as a
collaborative model of unity in diversity. But
traditional icons of the Trinity include some of the
most masculine and hierarchal of all Christian
images: two men (or sometimes and old man
holding a male baby) plus a little bird that is barely
visible in the picture.
One different version is by Hildegard of Bingen, a
12 th century Christian mystic who recorded her
visions in pictures. Her Trinity has Jesus in the
centre of concentric circles. She wrote, ‘Just as a
circle embraces all that is in it, so does the
godhead embrace all.’[31]
Catholic theologian Richard Rohr’s popular book
on the Trinity[21] uses the metaphor of an
inclusive circle dance to describe god and claims
the Trinity means ‘God is relationship itself’.
Metaphorical theologian Sallie McFague proposes
an alternate trinity of ‘mother, lover, friend[19]’.
My work is influenced by the challenging work of
queer feminist theologian Linn Marie Tonstad[11]
who describes a Trinity of non-hierarchical
relationships best represented by the clitoris (in
contrast to ‘phallic’ penetration of each other’s
space). This, she suggests, ‘symbolises the
economy of surface touch in which intensification
and co-presence permit ever-greater intimacy
between those who remain different in their
particularity’.
with them tend to be considered unclean.
Tonstad’s work influenced my desire to include
elements of female embodiment around birth and
sexuality in my work, by implication if not
obviously. And my pursuit of universal, circular
pattern is influenced by Richard Rohr’s ideas of
connectedness and flow[21].
The Abject is referenced in my choice of
characters for my Queer Trinity. I was inspired by
both metaphorical theology and Surrealist art to
think freely of images. The giant rabbit came from
a recurring dream, and on refection represents
the Mother archetype. Rabbits and hares have
long symbolised fertility and rebirth, and been
associated with fertility goddesses.
Girls have embodied the idea of suffering for
others (not necessarily by choice) throughout
history and still widely in the world today. The
third person started out as a drag queen angel,
inspired by a joyous life drawing session at the
National Portrait Gallery modelled by the Virgin
Extravaganzah in LGBT+ history week. Through
drawing, this became more of a non-binary
character, as many of the traditional icons depict
men wearing flowing robes that would now be
read as women’s clothing.
Fertility (or birth) and the blurring of male and
female are noted as examples of things considered
Abject in patriarchy, and surely the horrors
inflicted on girls result from the fear or revulsion
of patriarchal society.
Although this sounds like a niche religious idea,
really it is wider cultural issue that needs
addressing for a post-patriarchal world. People
don’t have to be religious to have underlying
mental associations of male with god - and thus
with characteristics such as authority, strength or
wisdom (or tropes like the maverick genius or
lone saviour). The one feeds off the other, in that
different models of leadership or government –
consensual, collaborative, less ego-driven – are
not necessarily even recognised as leadership.
Whereas if your idea of how the world is ordered
is based on an ideal of collaboration and unity in
diversity then the way you want society to be
structured will be different.
Thinking of The Trinity in terms of female orgasm
– surely as taboo as anything in patriarchal society
– links with the idea of the Abject, since female
bodies have traditionally been considered (in
Kristeva’s words) ‘the source from which
defilement springs[32]’ as the fluids associated
Opposite
Queer Trinity on the Altar
Pippa King 2020