The primary use of the gargoyle was to illustrate evil through the form of the gargoyle. In the 12th century, St. Bernard of Clairvaux was famous for speaking out against gargoyles: What are these fantastic monsters doing in the cloisters before the eyes of the brothers as they read? What is the meaning of these unclean monkeys, these strange savage lions, and monsters?. To what purpose are here placed these creatures, half beast, half man, or these spotted tigers? I see several bodies with one head and several heads with one body. Here is a quadruped with a serpent's head, there a fish with a quadruped's head, then again an animal half horse, half goat... Surely if we do not blush for such absurdities, we should at least regret what we have spent on them. According to Lester Burbank Bridaham, writing in Gargoylaes, Chimeres and the Grotesque in French Gothic Sculpture, "There is much symbolism in the sculpture of the Gothic period; but we must be wary of reading in too much meaning. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Status: Built
Location: Long Island City, NY, US
My Role: Artist
Additional Credits: Curators: Tessa Kennedy, Edjo Wheeler, Jason Artiga
