Download Artist's Statement

 

 

 

Dolls of the Kingdom and Desert

 

 

Virginia artist Angela Wade created a series of dolls related to the Children of the Desert series, capturing the essences of the three principal regions of the world: the Northlands, Bright Bay, and the Southern Desert.

The Artist's Statement is available for download here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Child's Doll: the Northlands

 

The northern regions are harsh in both environment and culture, being politically dominated by a powerful conservative theocracy. This pair of figures was made by a woman in a northern city as a gift for her daughter. Since motherhood is the only acceptable occupation for a woman in this culture, they are a mother and infant pair. The mother figure suggests a woman entirely covered by a restrictive garment. She has no legs, lest they be seen as somehow sexual, and no distinct facial features, to avoid any possibility of idolatry. The figures are made of fabrics culled from worn out and cast-off clothing. The one bright spot in the composition is the pink cap of the sleeping infant. It suggests hope: the mother is trapped by her society, but the sleeping infant dreams of a brighter future.

 

 

 

 

 

Market Vendor's Doll: Bright Bay

 

The geographic, political, and economic center of the Kingdom is the coastal city of Bright Bay. This doll is representative of one a person might find for sale in an upscale merchant’s booth. Her construction is simple–clay head and limbs attached to a rudimentary fabric body. Her clothing, however, is gaudy. Costumed in brightly-colored silk and embellished with metallic threads and glass beads, this flashy little lady screams “Buy me!”

In direct contrast to the doll from the North, she has legs, a face, uncovered hair, and even makeup. A northern s’iope (church official) would call her a whore. But they think Bright Bay is the City of Whores anyway.

This doll is the only one in the series directly based on the text. The design and ornamentation of the gown, as well as the loose hairstyle, are taken from the description of an outfit worn by Lady Alyea on her travels in Secrets of the Sands.

 

 

Votive/Teaching Figures: the Southern Desert

 

Hidden in the southern deserts are strongholds and shrines dedicated to the three ancient Gods of the Kingdom. From those secret places come the final set of figures: three nested dolls, hidden one within the next.

These deceptively simple figures use the most “complex” materials: fabrics dyed in complex patterns, mirrors, shaped beads, and even drilled pearls (which must have been carried all the way from Bright Bay). The desert strongholds of the south hold some of the finest craftspeople in the world, and each desert Family guards its craft secrets jealously. The mirrored face of Comos, for example, must be credited to Sessin Family, since no other Family has access to the the secret of making glass so clear and smooth. The fabric and bead colors are associated with the southern gods and on the southern bead-language.