| This dissertation focuses on the material culture associated with the African-Brazilian religion Candomble, both within the sacred spaces used for religious practice and in the secularized realm of public art. Through an exploration of art works, this research examines the ways in which people of differing world-views and backgrounds create meaning about the world around them. After providing an overview of the materials and objects used in religious practice, the significance of beads is explored in a case study. Of particular importance is the process of empowerment, by which inert materials are transformed into things that have the power to act, and are thereby accorded special treatment.; Emerging as a religion among enslaved people, Candomble was oppressed by the dominant class until the last century. Although it is now legal to practice Candomble, the religion remains marginalized in many sectors of society. At the same time, the symbols of Candomble are frequently extracted from the sacred context and appropriated for use in public art projects, under the sponsorship of private corporations and governmental organizations. A fundamental transformation in aesthetics, function, and meaning occurs when representations and symbols of the Candomble orixas (deities) are taken out of their sacred context, adopted for public art projects, and interpreted for consumption by a wide audience in a secular space. This process requires a shift in aesthetic principles and allows for the incorporation of Candomble imagery into newly constructed forms of regional and national identity.; Based on field research in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, this dissertation examines the creation and use of sacred objects in the context of various Candomble terreiros, as well as a major government and corporate sponsored sculptural cycle depicting secularized Candomble images. This work includes an analysis of the process of the construction of folklore as Candomble symbols are moved from a sanctified context to the public realm. Special focus is placed on the ways in which people read these works, sacred and secular, empowered and inert, religious and folkloric. |
