2009
ARTISTS:
Leafa Wilson / Jackie Francis / Mara Berzins / Liz Downing / Catie Wilkinson / Leao Tildsley / Shoshana Sachi / Elisabeth Cunnane / David Whyte / Stu Barris / Emily Hill / Woven Vocal Collective/ Cook Island Drums / The George /
AUDIO:
INTRO:
Throughout the global West there is a resurgence of interest in ancient forms of spiritual practice that may have been neglected or rejected for centuries by the mainstream. Stations of the Cross, or via crucis, way of the cross, is one such practice.
Stations were first established in Northern Italy in the early 16th century. The intention was to re-create the events of the last week or so of Jesus Christ’s life on earth. Pilgrims had for centuries returned to Jerusalem and meditated at the original sites e.g. Herod’s palace where Jesus was tried, the garden of Gethsemane where he prayed, the hill of Golgotha where he was crucified.But this involved lengthy and dangerous travels often taking more than a year, and achievable by few people. So the church in Europe began to erect buildings and re-create those places and scenes closer to home. The number of stations has varied over the centuries from 5 to more than 40, and eventually 14 became the most commonly accepted number.
The people and places were actual size. The characters were made with real hair, and attention to detail. The intention was that anyone visiting these tableaux would get the same experience as someone visiting the original setting in Jerusalem. The builders wanted to create an experience where the same emotions would be felt as if in Jerusalem.
Over time these life-sized recreations became the familiar set of usually small, minimalist plaques on the wall of a church building.
The worldwide renewal of Stations as a way to engage with the content and emotion of the last week of Jesus’ life began in New Zealand less than 20 years ago. It has taken place outside of the Catholic Church and moved closer to its roots in tableaux.
Here artists are charged with reflecting on the biblical text that describes the event they have chosen, and interpreting that story in contemporary art. Set in our familiar Kiwi cultural context and using materials we are familiar with, the work is made available to us to reflect on and engage with. Because each piece has already undergone some degree of interpretation, those of us who come to the Stations as spiritual seekers may not find each station (“place to stop and stare”) equally engaging. We may “understand” some pieces more easily than others. This is to be expected and should not be seen as failure either on the part of the artist to communicate or the viewer to understand or find value. The value is in the engagement with the story via the work and the struggle to make connections between that and your own life, here and now, in New Zealand.
MARK PIERSON, Lent 2009.
POETS POSSE:
Appears, performs, then leaves you … pondering
Ross / Stu / Tania / Cameron / Jesse / Matthew
ENTRY MOVING IMAGE:
Shoshana Sachi