Apothecary's Cope

6' x 3'.

Hand painted and printed canvas and silk organza, bottles, found objects. Hand sewn.

The Apothecary’s Cope was inspired by another important Canadian literary work; in this instance The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje. This novel also uses the lives of actual people to create a work of fiction. The Apothecary in my title refers back to the origins of the cope as a medieval garment; however, the motifs of this cope (scarab and lizard) suggest the desert landscape of the novel. The tiny bottles on my cope are filled with found objects, which suggest cures but, in fact, are nothing but beautiful placebos. This relates to the history of medicine, to the proliferation of purveyors of useless or lethal potions, and to the control that unscrupulous drug-producing companies have over our health – regardless of our well-being.