Trina McKillen – Bless Me Child For I have Sinned

Bless Me Child For I Have Sinned (2010 – 2013), part of an installation titled “confess”, is a work whose central theme is that of the abuse of children priests have inflicted, particularly the artist’s mother. The work looks to mirror the typical use of a confession booth, as it is the priest who has committed a crime and a sin, and therefore confessing. Child abuse within the catholic church is certainly taboo, through the transparent glass, the shame attached to being a victim of this nature can be reframed for the better,and a more open dialogue begins to happen.

A confessional booth made of glass and a kneeler made out of nails are very unusual. With this confessional booth, nothing is quite as you would expect, perhaps as the theme is so subversive, by the medium matching this, the audience can understand what implications the experience of abuse from a person with power could have.

Channel 5 With Andrew Callaghan Confessional Booth (2024)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKK36CgorZw

The internet seems to be obsessed with confessions… From TikTok story times to Reddit’s “r/confessions”, as a society, we love to pry. Andrew Callaghan, known on YouTube as the host of controversial street interviews, created a continuous live interview through the use of a confessional booth at Superchief gallery in Los Angeles. The booth has a sign disclaiming the live filming, and inside, there is non-discreet camera filming through the grill of the booth. I think it’s ethically very important that the confessors are aware that they are being filmed and that the footage will be posted on the internet. The lack of anonymity changes the confessional booth from being a deeply personal and private experience to one of a spectacle. The purpose of the confession changes from confessing for absolution and forgiveness from God to confessing to be heard or to share an anecdote that has the potential of virality.

Andrea Zitel Warm and Cool Chambers 1993

Although this installation is not related to confessional booths, it has become an image of reference between me and Sonny during this collaboration. The look of a cubicle is reminiscent of toilet cubicles, which, to us, is one of the most popular forms of contemporary confession, particularly within club/ rave culture. The form of the cubicle has become important in understanding isolation and abstraction within our project. The contrast between the warm and cool is also very interesting in relation to the confessional booth; the juxtaposition allows the two cubicles to be viewed as different and separate from each other. The lack of uniformity is subtle but also suggests to the viewer that the purpose of warm and cool is different, and perhaps should be interacted with differently.