dragonlady7

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neshamama https://neshamama.tumblr.com/post/172972875528/in-1950-american-artist-james-hampton-1909-1964 :

in 1950, american artist james hampton (1909-1964) rented a carriage house in washington, dc. over the next fourteen years, hampton, who at the time worked as a janitor, constructed a massive, glimmering sculptural work out of recycled and found materials, such as old furniture, aluminum foil, and discarded light bulbs collected on the job. hampton’s work was posthumously titled throne to the third heaven based on an inscription by hampton. throne to the third heaven expresses the grand religious vision of the artist whose landlord had no idea his garage had been transformed into a studio housing a mystical masterwork: an astounding vision of deliverance, freedom, and cosmic glory.

from 1945 to his death, hampton also compiled the divinely-inspired book of the 7 dispensations by st. james, an 108-page text written in a language of symbols and codes that some scholars call “hamptonese.” though scholars have identified patterns in hampton’s writing and correlations to hebrew and christian scriptures, they have yet to ‘decode’ the book’s language or meaning. so far, studies indicate the st. james text could be deciphered–its content bears an organization and theme that resist the possibility of merely voicing incoherent, indecipherable gibberish.

hampton was described as soft-spoken, humble, and reclusive. he did not exhibit his work or regularly share it with others; his few friends were unaware of its existence until the iridescent monument was discovered by the landlord once hampton had died. despite the mystery that persists enshrouding james hampton, his work, his writing, and his vision, the two silver words at the top of his central throne ring clearly and powerfully decades later to all who read it:

FEAR NOT.

Oh the thing is, this is installed in… one of the Smithsonians, I’m not sure which– and I saw it, completly unprepared, I’d never heard of it before or realized it existed– and it is. It is a whole room, it is gleaming and glittering, it is– it is an absolutely breathtaking thing and is simultaneously made obviously of salvage and also has this unmistakable power and weight to it, there’s this– it’s holy, somehow, it’s just– overwhelming.

FEAR NOT. (Your picture was not posted)