JUNIA
November 2015
JUNIA from Stephanie Hewett on Vimeo.
Junia is mentioned by Paul the apostle in Romans 16:7. There has been a dispute over the wording of the passage because it has been translated with various connotations that suggest Junia either was or was not an apostle and that she either was or was not a female. Medieval scribes began translating her name to Junias, the male form of her name, because the earlier Greek versions lacked the accents that would denote gender.
The New International Version currently reads "Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was." Some versions of the Bible still refer to her as Junias. This erasure of identity and confusion of gender over time inspired this piece, where a young girl wanders around in an unfamiliar environment, tormented internally by some unseen force. In the end, Junia marks up the well she has fallen into, creating a new space that is uniquely her own.
The New International Version currently reads "Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was." Some versions of the Bible still refer to her as Junias. This erasure of identity and confusion of gender over time inspired this piece, where a young girl wanders around in an unfamiliar environment, tormented internally by some unseen force. In the end, Junia marks up the well she has fallen into, creating a new space that is uniquely her own.
