 God's Sewing Machine © 2003 Ginger Henry Geyer Adaptation of Masaccio's Expulsion from Paradise Glazed porcelain 4 parts, approx. 11" x 13 ½" x 8" As I write this, I prepare to send my eldest child off to college. It is not an easy transition for anyone, but at least it is not an expulsion from Paradise. I once heard an interpretation of the Adam and Eve send-off that became the inspiration for this sculpture. This version of the story focuses less on the sinners and more on the nature of God. Adam and Eve have really blown it, they have intentionally disrupted the peace by lying and picking fights, they turned up the already too loud music, were obstinate and sullen, blamed everyone else, and were running around half naked, or worse. (Now my dear son has not done any of that, but conventional wisdom says that college-bound kids often do act up just to make the leaving easier.) So the father is fed up, and Adam and Eve are told to get the heck out. Then the Mom leans out the window and hollers, "Oh by the way, Honey, do you have your warm coats?"
"And the Lord God made garments of skins for the man and for his wife, and clothed them." (Genesis 3:21) It is a lovely insight into the nurturing side of God, and a rather feminine trait at that. Not only did God make garments, God dressed them, and possibly fussed over the fit. They would've be grateful for the TLC after wearing fig leaves. If you’ve ever picked a fig leaf you'll know why. The stems exude a sticky substance just like Elmer’s Glue, and the leaves crisp up quickly, becoming as scratchy as medium grade sandpaper. Not anybody’s first choice to cover the private parts. Fig leaves may have been plentiful, but animal skins required a sacrifice. All creation does. As Karen Armstrong says in In the Beginning: A New Interpretation of Genesis:
I borrowed a friend's 1964 Singer portable sewing machine as a model for this porcelain one. It is a very sculptural object, with slim but strong, feminine good looks. It is reported to still be the favorite among quilters and seamstresses who travel. I figure God also gets around a lot, judging by all the garments mentioned in the Bible—Aaron's robe, Elijah's cloak, Joseph's multicolor coat, John the Baptist's camel hair outfit, the purple cloth sold by Lydia.
On the Simplicity pattern (same vintage as the sewing machine), is a fresco painting by Masaccio, probably the most famous rendition of the Expulsion. He presents us with the bawling pair being whisked away by an avenging angel in red. The curious thing about this picture is the emphasis on their naked disobedience. By this point in the story, they were clothed. Perhaps the artist took this metaphorically, that they had become enfleshed, had put on skins over their souls. Or that later they would become baptized and "clothed with Christ", taking on the Christ pattern. Perhaps they are as nude as the Emperor in his new suit—proudly striding along not realizing he had been duped and exposed.
The backside of the pattern shows designs for children's animal costumes, reminding me of a leopard outfit I dutifully wore for Trick-or-Treat for Unicef, two or three years in a row. It was one of those androgynous costumes, a hand-me-down, and it reminds me of the myth of the Androgynos which some scholars say influenced the story of Adam's creation. It is fascinating how other stories influence our interpretation of scripture, sometimes so profoundly we could swear it was written that way. The doctrine of original sin is never mentioned in the Bible--Augustine came up with that one centuries later. But just what was that original sin that tainted all of humanity? Why such a fuss over an apple, or pomegranate or whatever the fruit was? Or was the sin of Adam and Eve a sexual one (for which the woman is always to blame)? Or the classic sin of playing God? Or of just being human…and guess who made us that way? Whatever, thanks to the Western church fathers, we've all been saddled with this doctrine of original sin, which works in our psyches to root out the equally valid doctrine of original blessing. As the sewing pattern says, it is never as simple as it looks. |
Garment making and dressing in ancient times was not strictly women's work, but today we do associate it with women. Unfortunately, the sewing machine is a symbol of female oppression in some third-world countries where seamstresses go blind laboring over clothes we buy cheap in the U.S. It makes one wonder if God too is the oppressed worker.
