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- Title of Abstract:
?Alt er mulig for Gud?. Crafting a Religious Text in Fragments of Glass (Ref #165)
- Date:
- 06-10-2006 10:36:40
- Status:
-
Unsuccessful
- Rating:
- 4
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Details:
The overall goal of my work is to contribute to build an attitude of tolerance and dialogue between religious groups. This paper accounts for and reflects upon an exploration of ecclesial embellishment. The tradition of stained glass windows is extended to crafting text on the floor.
Through history, the Church as part of society, has expressed her thoughts in contemporary art and craft. Western Christian Churches have a continuous need for new artistic contributions that interpret and communicate Christian faith relevantly in our time. In Norway, the institution Norwegian Church Academies has been central in promoting contemporary ecclesial art. In October 2006, it celebrates its 50th anniversary. As part of the program, I was invited to suggest a contribution to the Jubilee Mass.
An ecclesial commission is generally based on what the patron is accustomed to see. At the same time the demand is to provide something new. Entering a church room the artist has to balance between tradition and the anticipation of providing a site specific work that reflects some problem of relevance for the place and audience.
The question of ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue is controversial within the Christian Churches. My response is to provide a non-offensive iconography that may help create an atmosphere of acceptance and tolerance between different cultural groups.
Since figurative images have been a religious battleground for 2000 years and still are, I have chosen to work in a religiously universal tradition using letters as my compositional foundation. In the same line of thought, I make my work by hand. Craft is a shared human activity, appreciated regardless of culture and language.
In ecclesial directives on art it is recommended to take point of departure in the Gospels. For the Jubilee Mass, I extract a fragment from the readings of the day (Mt 19.26): ?Alt er mulig for Gud? (everything is possible for God). This text I write during the liturgical ceremony directly on the floor in the middle of the central aisle. With my naked hands I shape letters, ca. 0.5 m in height, by fragments of glass from Eucharist wine bottles. When the mass is over, the work is completed. Afterwards, it will be swept away and vanish, but hopefully it will stay alive in someone?s memory.
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