Did Bronwyn Bishop need to resign?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3173210/Embattled-Speaker-Bronwyn-Bishop-claimed-colleague-s-WEDDING-official-business-billed-taxpayer-it.htmlMuch of public life in Australia seems consumed with the demand for apologies. This is particularly the case with the speaker of the House of Representatives, Bronwyn Bishop, whose over-indulgence in expenses was seen to require some contrition on her part. After weathering the storm for several days, Bishop eventually made a statement that acknowledged an error of judgement. The popular media did not accept this, claiming it was too little, too late.

Her situation now seems untenable. Finally, she tendered her resignation. Is there anything that she could have done to appease public opinion?

Traditional societies often require the perpetrator, or family thereof, or offer a precious object as an acknowledgement of the seriousness of the charge. The Iroquois tribes used elaborate wampum belts for this purpose. So is there anything that Bishop could have offered?

What could Bishop offer? Given her standards of dress, a compromise with her normally opulent appearance may have gone some way to showing that she has taken criticism to heart. I could have handed in her pearls as the ultimate sacrifice. Pearls are not only objects if adornment, but their use in Anglo sumptuary laws ties them to the operations of power.

But it’s too late now.

Custodia-Panera de mimbre

From its colonial beginnings, Chile has been a country guided by religion. In a country where 67.37% of the population is Catholic (according to the Census 2012), religion has emerged as one of the fundamental pillars of society. Today, religion is part of Chile’s cultural identity. Among the main tenets of the Catholic religion, there is respect, inclusion, love of neighbor, friendship and above all, acceptance, however, the Catholic Church is an elitist institution that does not accept differences and that, Despite its principles, it does not accept other with their beliefs and personal history.

In Western culture, especially in the Chilean traditions, wafer and bread are a sacred food. The host is an element of great importance for Catholicism, it symbolizes Christ’s body and ingested in the rite of the Eucharist. In Catholic ceremonies, a monstrance (Latin ostentare, “show”) is highly significant. It corresponds to a piece of gold or other precious metal where previously consecrated host for the adoration of faith and conviction stands.

Moreover, the bread of great importance in the world economy, acting as an index measuring the value of life. Through its trade price it is possible to determine changes in the cost of living in each country. In the beginning, the bread was made and shared within the family. Later, thanks to industrialization, began its massive commercialization in urban areas.

The work consists of a custody-made wicker bread basket, looking to rescue the essence of the rite of the Eucharist: Communion, alluding to its essential meaning, to understand it as the union between people.

We opted for wicker, because it is characteristic material central Chile, and the shape of the bread basket, which corresponds to an object present in every home across the country.

Keeping bread in wicker symbolizes sharing and power, becoming a symbol of approval, appreciation and blessing to the various forms of love that exist in society.

The proposed activation object corresponds to the installation of a rectangular table with white table cloths and on this, the Custody-Panera Bread with marraqueta inside. This table will be located outside the Cathedral of Santiago, emblematic place of Catholicism in Chile. The ritual is held on a Sunday at noon, coinciding with the main mass of the week.

Thanks to:

Marcela Rodriguez
Paula Melo
André Barbet
Almond Arraño

Custodia-Panera de mimbre

Desde sus inicios coloniales, Chile ha sido un país guiado por la religión. En un país donde el 67,37% de la población se declara católica (según datos del Censo 2012), la religión se ha planteado como uno de los pilares fundamentales de la sociedad. Actualmente, la religión forma parte de la identidad cultural chilena. Dentro de los principales postulados de la religión católica,  se encuentran el respeto, la inclusión, el amor al prójimo,  el compañerismo y sobre todo, la aceptación, sin embargo, la Iglesia Católica es una institución elitista, que no acepta diferencias y que, a pesar de sus postulados, no acoge al otro con sus creencias y su historia personal.

En la cultura occidental, sobre todo en las tradiciones chilenas,  la hostia y el pan poseen un carácter sagrado en su condición de alimentos.  La hostia es un elemento de gran relevancia para el catolicismo, simboliza el cuerpo de Cristo y se ingiere dentro del rito de la Eucaristía. En las ceremonias católicas, la Custodia u Ostensorio (del latín ostentare, “mostrar”) adquiere gran relevancia. Corresponde a una pieza de oro u otro metal precioso donde se coloca la hostia previamente consagrada para la adoración de fieles y creyentes.

Por otra parte, el pan reviste gran importancia en la economía mundial, actúando como un  índice de medición del valor de vida. A través de su precio en el comercio es posible determinar la evolución del costo de vida de cada nación.  En sus inicios, el pan era fabricado y compartido al interior del núcleo familiar. Posteriormente, gracias a procesos de industrialización, comenzó su comercialización masiva en zonas urbanas.

La obra consiste en una custodia-panera fabricada en mimbre, buscando rescatar la esencia del rito de la eucaristía: La Comunión, aludiendo a su significado esencial, para entenderla como la unión entre las personas.

Se ha optado por el mimbre, porque es material característico de la zona central de Chile, y la forma de la panera, que corresponde a un objeto presente en cada casa a lo largo del país.

El pan en la Custodia de mimbre simboliza el  compartir y el alimentar, convirtiéndose en un símbolo de aprobación, reconocimiento y bendición a las distintas formas de amar que existen en la sociedad.

La propuesta de activación del  objeto corresponde a la instalación de una mesa rectangular con un mantel blanco inmaculado y sobre esta,  la Custodia-Panera con un pan marraqueta en su interior. Esta mesa se ubicará fuera de la Catedral de Santiago, sitio emblemático del catolicismo en Chile.  El ritual se realizará un día domingo a mediodía, coincidiendo con la misa principal de la semana.

Gracias a:

  • Marcela Rodríguez
  • Paula Melo
  • André Barbet
  • Almendra Arraño