Liz Hager, “Harry Potter & The Fires of Ignorance” (cover view),
Books, matches, wood, strike pad, digital prints; 14 x 14 x 18 inches
©Liz Hager
My art is inspired by many ideas—historical, philosophical, scientific—and every piece demands its own media and execution. Books, however, have always occupied a special place in my heart, both as aesthetic objects and conduits for ideas. Thus, it was a great honor to be invited to participate in the 2008 exhibit “Banned and Recovered: Artists Respond to Censorship.” The exhibit was mounted simultaneously at the SF Center for the Book and the African American Museum and Library at Oakland.
My sculptural piece “Harry Potter & The Fires of Ignorance” was inspired by the fourth Harry Potter book—Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire. Given the book’s 2001 release date, most likely copies of the Goblet of Fire were those burned in March 2001 in the first such protest incident; a small evangelical group in Pittsburgh had taken offense at the book’s portrayal of witchcraft (interestingly, they admitted to not having read the book). This turned out to be the first of many such incidents around the United States.
My piece plays with the various meanings of “recover”—i.e. to cover again, to regain possession, even to remove or extract (as, say, from a fire).
Liz Hager, “Harry Potter & The Fires of Ignorance” (inside view),
Books, matches, wood, strike pad, digital prints; 14 x 14 x 18 inches
©Liz Hager
A de-acquisitioned library copy of The Goblet of Fire became the genesis of the sculpture. I created a new dust jacket for this book from matches and deconstructed matchboxes. Harry Potter—part of the illustration from the original dustjacket—peers out from his bunker, under siege, as it were. The new spine (printed on wood) cites the various burning and mutilation incidents around the country. The cross formed by strike pad material and spine symbolizes the paradoxical nature of religion in which creation/destruction co-exist. Inside the book, I added special pages to carry various quotes and excerpts about censorship that were important to me. The “recovered” book rises from the ashes of burned books, also copies of The Goblet of Fire.
I wanted the work to embody the incendiary nature of the censorship battle, the fragility of the cultural legacy that books represent, and the ultimately hopeful triumph of books under all threats of censorship.
Under the auspices of the California Exhibition Resources Alliance, The Fires of Ignorance will travel through 2013 with other works from “Banned & Recovered” exhibit.
More Information
Banned & Recovered catalog
