Blasphemous UCC exhibit sparks outrage

mkaobrih · **Joined:** Wed Sep 05, 2007 10:48 pm **Posts:** 1591

http://www.examiner.ie/ireland/blasphem ... 58220.html

Quote:

Blasphemous’ UCC exhibit sparks outrage

By Dan Buckley

Saturday, June 18, 2011
A CONTROVERSIAL art exhibit at UCC has sparked outrage even before it is opened.
Entitled "Our Lady and Other Queer Santas", by Alma Lopez, it goes on display at the college on Thursday of next week and is open to the public. It is part of a weekend conference on Hispanic studies that begins at UCC the following day.

The digital photo collage created by Lopez shows Our Lady of Guadalupe wearing a floral bikini with hands on hips in a provocative pose. Ms Lopez will talk about her exhibit at the conference.

The display has provoked an online protest and was also the subject of discussion with Joe Duffy on RTE radio’s Liveline show yesterday. A number of callers to the show said they regarded the exhibition as blasphemous, a view echoed by some online protesters.

Ms Lopez’s exhibit will run in tandem with a display entitled "EnAguas EnTlalocan / Prayer for Mother Waters" by Celia Herrera Rodriguez.

Both will be on view in the O’Rahilly Building at UCC. The conference will explore Chicano (or Chicana) culture and focus on the lives of US citizens of Mexican descent.

An outline of the conference on the UCC website describes Lopez, who was born in Mexico and raised in Los Angeles, California, as a "cutting-edge Chicana feminist activist."

UCC had not responded to a request for comment by time of publication.

funkyderek · **Posted:** Sat Jun 18, 2011 10:24 am

Here's the "offending" image:

From http://www.almalopez.net/

funkyderek · **Posted:** Sat Jun 18, 2011 11:22 am

Is it really any more blasphemous than this image?

Taken from http://www.americaneedsfatima.org/What- ... ma-do.html
I found this site while looking for more info on the exhibition. Their protest on the exhibition includes the complaint that the artist is "a self-avowed lesbian".

Feardorcha · **Joined:** Fri May 01, 2009 4:28 pm **Posts:** 1265

Filth! Burn UCC! Stone the Provost!

aZerogodist · **Posted:** Sat Jun 18, 2011 2:11 pm

Ahh something to do next week.
I sent in a companit to The Examiner, Dan doesn't mention the web campaign is from American-right group or their homophobic views, he doesn't even mention the €25K Blasphemy Law, or that the talk is Organised by Mexican Studies Centre.

How can people find it BLASPHEMOUS if they haven't seen it. What a poorly written scrap of journalism well below the usually high standards of the Examiner.

Help: I got an email from the Press Council of Ireland in regard to a complaint I made in 2008, I think it was the Times, I can't remember exactly what the article was, but I think a few others sent in complaints, does anyone remember, as I have to fill in the questionnaire within a few days.

Ygern · **Posted:** Sat Jun 18, 2011 6:12 pm

Seeing as the Guadalupe image (the original) is an opportunistic fraud to begin with, I am finding it hard to see how anyone could be moved towards outrage at the satirical version.
As satire goes, it's not even particularly shocking and certainly as far from obscene as it gets. Almost every perfume or skin cream advert in woman's magazines displays as much if not more flesh.

Michael Nugent participated in a discussion of it yesterday on Liveline, which you can probably still listen to here: http://www.rte.ie/radio1/liveline/
Money quote: "Well, that was strange. It was like discussing the rules of quidditch with people who believe Harry Potter was a documentary."

Byron · **Posted:** Sun Jun 19, 2011 5:08 pm

Ygern wrote:

Seeing as the Guadalupe image (the original) is an opportunistic fraud to begin with, I am finding it hard to see how anyone could be moved towards outrage at the satirical version.
As satire goes, it's not even particularly shocking and certainly as far from obscene as it gets. Almost every perfume or skin cream advert in woman's magazines displays as much if not more flesh.

Michael Nugent participated in a discussion of it yesterday on Liveline, which you can probably still listen to here: http://www.rte.ie/radio1/liveline/
Money quote: "Well, that was strange. It was like discussing the rules of quidditch with people who believe Harry Potter was a documentary."

It was comedic listening alright.

ocallaghanbohrdt · **Joined:** Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:39 pm **Posts:** 23

I thought you can only blaspheme against god, not their lady

Dev · **Posted:** Mon Jun 20, 2011 7:03 pm

ocallaghanbohrdt wrote:

I thought you can only blaspheme against god, not their lady

Strictly speaking any criticism of matters important to the religion including the church and doctrine is generally considered blasphemous it doesn't have to be against God.

Byron · **Posted:** Wed Jun 22, 2011 3:24 pm

So this is launching tomorrow night apparently. Are any other Cork residents heading along to it? I'll take some photos and hopefully have a bit of a chat to the protestors, if there are any that is.

Byron · **Posted:** Thu Jun 23, 2011 5:33 pm

I was up there earlier and it's a rather benign looking image. Also there were no protestors in sight. However, I just received a call from the P.R.O of the UCC Atheist Society, of which I am a member, telling me there are roughly 30 or so protestors up there now. They will also be there tomorrow from 1.30 - 5.30. We might be organising a counter protest.

I'll keep you informed.

Feardorcha · **Joined:** Fri May 01, 2009 4:28 pm **Posts:** 1265

What will the counter-protest pickets say?
"Up with this sort of thing!"

Byron · **Posted:** Thu Jun 23, 2011 6:15 pm

Ok, we're organising a counter protest. Details will be posted later on tonight and as soon as I have them i'll share them on here.

Also, our Facebook page is here. http://www.facebook.com/pages/UCC-Athei ... 2033424244

Feardorcha · **Joined:** Fri May 01, 2009 4:28 pm **Posts:** 1265

If it were possible to get the protesters to complain to the gardai under the blasphemy law, we might get a test case.

Byron · **Posted:** Thu Jun 23, 2011 7:27 pm

Details of the counter-protest here.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=214546881917938

I'd be surprised if there wasn't a media presence of some sort tomorrow.

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