A Believer is a Doer (2007)
video/sculpture (wood, acrylic, glass)
A
Believer is a Doer explores relationships between faith and action and
presents an alternate view of religious fundamentalism by evoking the transcendental
nature of Pentecostal Holiness serpent handling.
Filmed at the Church of the Lord Jesus in West Virginia, the video footage isolates moments of spiritual reward while alluding to the mystical forces to which the Serpent Handlers surrender during church services.
Images of congregants anointed by the Holy Spirit are projected onto a translucent white curtain. Abstractions of rattlesnakes are projected into a handcrafted replica of a traditional Appalachian serpent box. The images are accompanied by ecstatic music recorded during church services.
