The Reproachful Head of the Green Knight: Exploring the eerie, liminality, deep time and duration in ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’

What is it about?

The outcomes presented in this article represent a body of fine artworks that respond to the medieval poem ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’ (c.1380), culminating in the realization of the monstrous head of the Green Knight. I outline influences from an extended base of film, and television, including direct adaptations of the poem, and thematically relevant sources that include analogous narratives; as well as looking at fine art sculpture and painting that have informed my making strategies. I also discuss my theoretical framing of the poem which asserts the Green Knight as an eerie agent of temporality.

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Photo by Marita Kavelashvili on Unsplash

Photo by Marita Kavelashvili on Unsplash

Why is it important?

'In ‘The Reproachful Head of the Green Knight: Exploring the eerie, liminality, deep time and duration in “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”’, the artist and researcher Michael Eden takes us on a journey through artistic adaptation, privileging us with an insight into the conceptualization and creation of a series of artworks inspired by the medieval poem ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’. Eden reveals his influences and theoretical framework providing a profound example of academic research and studio practice' (Editor Ben Pinsent 2023)

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