TWO YEARS LATER...
published: Sunday | November 6, 2005

Michael Robinson, Gleaner Writer

Remembering the furore over Facey's 'Redemption Song'

Two years later...

WHEN 'REDEMPTION Song' was unveiled at Emancipation Park in 2003, it sparked a heated debate which was by no means confined to Jamaica's shores. Expatriates and international media houses got involved. The monument even reached the pages of Playboy magazine. It seemed as if everybody had their own (very strong) opinion about the nudity used by Laura Facey to depict the unfettered spirit.

MINIATURE REPLICA

In commemoration of that unveiling, sculptor Laura Facey has produced a miniature 'Redemption Song' replica. The replica is cast in resin that mimics the colour of the original, and is packaged in an attractive box that allows the male and female figures to protrude at the top.

The package also includes a rather interesting DVD with a presentation chronicling the monument's creation and the subsequent controversy. It features an interview with Dr. David Boxer, curator of the National Gallery of Jamaica, and is narrated by Paula Anne Porter-Jones.

The miniature is currently produced in limited edition and carries a copy of the creator's signature at the base. A nicely done collector's item.

Today, a roadside survey shows that most people have a far more tolerant attitude about this public work of art. For her part, Facey was surprised by the public reaction, and rightly so. Nudity has been a part of art ­ even public displays ­ as long as art has been around.

Some of the earliest known sculptures are fertility figurines of the nude female body representing life and the life cycle. Michelangelo, Rodin, Picasso, Rodney, Watson (pick any Watson) ... the list of renowned artists who studied the female nude is enormous.

BIG DEAL?

Why such a big deal here in Jamaica?

Well, we do have the greatest number of churches per square mile ­ we're in the Guinness Book of Records for that one. Could that be it?

At the time of the controversy, the country seemed split into two sets of people ­ those who thought it was utterly abominable and those who saw no problem with it whatsoever. The former group was far more emotional about the issue.

Two years later, the furore is all but forgotten. Most people agree that the sculpture captures the essence of emancipation and can vaguely remember what the big deal was all about.