'The Green Man' is most commonly represented as a face surrounded by leaves, or with vegetation sprouting from the nose, mouth and head. Sometimes the face is composed entirely from leaves and foliage. Green Men are used as decorative architectural features, usually representing fertility and the regenerative cycle of the seasons.

I am interested in reinterpreting ‘The Green Man’ as symbol of the city of Stoke-on-Trent at this point in time; a motif that not only represents a sense of regeneration and renewal but one that could also be used to bring about changes, by highlighting what is effectively public artwork that already exists.

Thursday 12 August 2010

A Green Man?

A Green Man? Click the link to read an article about a man who sprouted a pea plant in his lungs. This conjures up images of one of the 'spewing' or 'disgorging' Green Men where vegetation grow from their mouths, noses, eyes and ears.

2 comments:

  1. During research for my post-grad on decoding symbols, I found that the image we know as the Green Man symbolizes Celtic herders-turned-farmers, during the warm Atlantic era - ca. 4000 BC. He is simply - a farmer, like the Jolly Green Giant logo. There were also "green girls" - few images remain. The name “Green Man” was not used until Lady Raglan used it in her article in 1939. More at http://whiteknightstudio.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete