Pinkie Maclure
Contemporary Stained Glass
Two Witches (Knowledge is Power)
Stained Glass in Lightbox, 66cm x 95cm, 2021
I like chaotic old windows that have been broken and haphazardly repaired many times over centuries.Wisdom, knowledge and education are symbolised by a crow (using a hooked tool, which humans can’t do until the age of 8) and a winking owl, which is defecating on a freemasonry emblem.
Such secret societies are an attempt to exclude women and keep them ignorant.
In 16C Scotland, women who educated themselves were accused of witchcraft.The girl on the right is holding a torch which has attracted tiny moths, symbolising enlightenment through studying the natural world. She also has a flagpole with a condom flying from it. Nearby are pieces of computer code and on her lapel, an image of a road to a stepped mountain, symbolising ambition. She is sharing ideas with her friend via an earpiece.The girl on the left has an electric guitar and is writing the words ‘Knowledge is Power’ in seven of the world’s most commonly-used languages - Arabic, Portuguese, Russian, Hindi, Spanish, Chinese and French.