The nursing community felt affected by the bacchanka sculpture. In the heart of Zielona Góra, right at the entrance to the University Hospital, the “Healthy” bacchanka – a figurine in the kind of popular brachus. She was to be a sympathetic tribute to medical staff, and became 1 of the most controversial symbols of the profession. Dressed in a tight, short apron, with a large cleavage and a syringe in her hand, she immediately excited. Was it truly just a gag or does it perpetuate a stereotype that harms women working in wellness care?
The tradition of bacchanettes – humorous figures depicting wine deities and fun – is the pride of Green Mountain. Scattered all over the city, bronze-made characters have been attracted to many tourists for years. Their playful character and light eroticism have so far been received with a wink. It is so no wonder that the thought of setting up another sculpture – this time “medical” – seemed to many inhabitants a natural improvement of tradition. The author of “Health” is Artur Wochniak – the creator of most green-mountained brachus. As he explained in his interview with the portal wielona.pl, his intention was to make a female figure, due to the fact that the infirmary mainly has female staff: “I decided it would be a bacchanka, not a bachusik. I wanted her to look like a Lara Croft character – strong, assured and humorous.” However, the reception of work proved to be completely different.
When the figure stood in front of the hospital, the social media flooded a wave of comments. any of the villagers praised the idea, but many were not embarrassed. "This looks like a bachelor organization ad, not a tribute to nurses" – he did not cover the outrage of 1 of the net users. The Regional Chamber of Nurses and Midwives in Zielona Góra besides reacted by issuing a message in which it defined the sculpture as ‘objective and detractive of the profession’. “ Bringing a caregiver to an attractive body in a miniskirt and pin has nothing to do with reality, ” says the report. Our profession requires knowledge, work and empathy, not grace from cabaret." Wochniak, amazed by the scale of his reaction, commented on the case for “Gazeta Lubusska”: “My respect for nurses is as advanced as possible: 10 out of 10. I think that nurses are brave, industrious, I value them for their commitment and dedication." However, the situation gradually escalated. There was a petition online to remove the sculpture from outside the hospital, signed by hundreds of people. Shortly afterwards, individual bandaged the figurine, covering its body with white material – as if trying to heal the creator's error. The city authorities announced that the sculpture would be moved elsewhere, and the Healthy 1 itself became a local symbol of the misunderstanding between art and social sensitivity.
Bachusiki is an integral part of the scenery of Zielona Góra. Source: pxhere.com / Creative Commons CC0, Public DomainIs it just a sculpture?
But wasn't the full thing blown up? The green mountain brachiki were always playful, sometimes even obscene, yet they were treated with humor. Many locals point out that there was no distance in history, yet the tradition of bachants and bachuses has always been based on food, irony and a slight wink of the eye. But can we truly talk about humor erstwhile a gag touches a professional group that has been faced for years with deficiency of respect, fatigue and depreciation by society? Nurses are among the most burdened professions in the Polish wellness system. According to the study of the Chief home of Nurses and Midwives, the average age of wellness care workers in Poland has already exceeded 53 years, and the number of people performing this profession is decreasing dramatically. Most women in this function frequently work above norm, in a shift system, struggling with pressure, deficiency of staff and under-funding. At the same time, they must deal with unwanted comments, hints and the stereotype of "sex nurse", which, as investigation shows, is much more durable than it might seem. According to analyses published in the magazine “Psychiatria Polska”, 78% of this professional group in Poland experienced force or aggression at work, and almost 98% witnessed it. Moreover, more than 53% of women working in wellness care, according to the study "Spital #MeToo", have experienced sexual harassment or erotic comments. 10.4% of those polled declared that they were touched unwelcomely, and more than 4% experienced rape attempts. It's data that's hard to handle with a shoulder move.
In this context, a “sex nurse” is not only a harmless joke, but a cultured image that truly hurts and takes the dignity of women in this profession. It's movie present in films, commercials, cabarets and jokes, bringing women in medicine to the function of ornament. Elżbieta Baliszewska, president of the Nurses' Chamber, said "Gazeta Lubuszka": "The symbol is of large importance. specified performances are not innocent, they support the belief that a female in a apron is more ornament than a professional.” The sculpture, although small, stands in a place which itself carries a strong emotional charge – in front of a infirmary where people fight for wellness and life all day. In this context frivolity ceases to be a gag and becomes a deficiency of empathy.
It's not about banning humor or artistic freedom. Public art has the right to provoke, but it should besides know its limits and context. In urban space, in the market, in the park, among grape bags, light eroticism can entertain. However, in art, as in medicine, precision matters. And here there was no diagnosis of social, cultural and average human feeling. The “healthy” has become an accident, showing that not all sculpture is just an outlet of artistry. any can open wounds – not on the body, but in the dignity of those whom they were to honor.
MAZIOPA OIL
