The Drawers - Jenny Wing Yee Tong Commentary written by Julie Oakes
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Results of the headhunt The
placement of a donkey's head on a human body is imbedded in the western lore
of fairytales, enchantment and children's stories. For example, Shakespeare
had Oberon, king of the forest, bring the fairy Queen Titania back under his
amorous sway by placing the braying beast's head upon a player's shoulders
and tricking her into an embarrassing liaison with the donkey. Pinocchio was
pulled from a path of wrong living by the example of truant boys transformed
into donkeys. A brash voice, far from mellifluous, stupidity, slowness and
stubbornness are the poor beast's attributes. Its position within the
beastly hierarchy has been that of a peon - one of toil and basic portage.
But there is also a magical aspect to a donkey that might be based on it's
potential for transformation. Being so lowly, like frog to prince, the
donkey, from its rung down the ladder of evolution when it comes to human
enchantments, might be raised and transformed. Copyright © 2006, Headbones Gallery, The Drawers |