{"id":290,"date":"2016-03-14T13:39:04","date_gmt":"2016-03-14T13:39:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/religious-studies\/?p=290"},"modified":"2016-03-14T13:39:04","modified_gmt":"2016-03-14T13:39:04","slug":"art-pilgrimage-and-london-stations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/religious-studies\/?p=290","title":{"rendered":"Art, Pilgrimage and London Stations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Among the many interests of the researchers on the AHRC funded project Pilgrimage and England\u2019s Cathedrals, Past and Present [http:\/\/www.pilgrimageandcathedrals.ac.uk\/about<\/a>] is the role of art and material culture in English cathedrals: what sort of art is displayed in, and commissioned by, cathedrals, and how do people react to and interact with such art? I was fascinated, therefore, to learn of \u2018Stations of the cross\u2019, described on its own website as a<\/p>\n

\u2018unique exhibition\u2014held in 14 locations across London\u2014[that] uses works of art to tell the story of the Passion in a new way, for people of different faiths. In this pilgrimage for art lovers, viewers will travel across London, mapping the geography of the Holy Land onto the streets of a \u201cnew Jerusalem\u201d.\u2019 [http:\/\/www.coexisthouse.org.uk\/stations2016.html<\/a>]<\/p>\n

In some denominations of Christianity, the Stations of the Cross depict and reconstruct the last journey of Jesus through Jerusalem, from being condemned to death to being laid in his tomb. Around Easter especially, this relocation and replication of sacred time and place can take on a particular resonance. The rationale of the London Stations of the Cross art trail is to break up the traditional grouping which miniaturises the last journey within one space.\u00a0 Instead, it spreads the 14 stations across London.\u00a0 Artworks in a variety of locations (cathedrals, art galleries, churches, outdoor sites) are designated as particular stations, inviting contemplation of the works of art, their locations, and their contemporary resonances with each station\u2019s traditional story.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Terry<\/a>

Terry Duffy\u2019s Victim, No Resurrection?, King\u2019s College London<\/p><\/div>\n

The trail frames and re-frames artworks old and new, familiar and unfamiliar, in a variety of media. Station One \u2013 \u2018Jesus is condemned to death by the mob\u2019 \u2013is represented Terry Duffy\u2019s Victim, No Resurrection?<\/em> (painted in response to the 1981 UK riots) in the chapel of King\u2019s College London, while Station Two -\u2019Jesus takes up his cross and begins his journey\u2019 \u2013is Philip Jackson\u2019s statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Parliament Square, an interesting (and possibly controversial) designation of a familiar landmark. James Balmforth\u2019s minimalist sculpture Intersection Point<\/em> appears in the Methodist Central Hall as Station Three – \u2018Jesus falls the first time\u2019 \u2013while Station Four \u2013 \u2018Jesus meets his mother\u2019 \u2013 is in fact Station Four of Eric Gill\u2019s Stations of the Cross in Westminster Cathedral (one of our partner cathedrals in the Pilgrimage and England\u2019s Cathedrals project).<\/p>\n

\"Eric<\/a>

Eric Gill, Station IV, Westminster Cathedral<\/p><\/div>\n

This juxtaposing of new art works in old locations, the framing of existing artworks as stations and the re-framing of what each station\u2019s story might mean in the contemporary milieu, combine to create an intriguing and thought provoking journey through familiar and less frequented London sites. Station Eight \u2013 Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem \u2013 took me to Notre Dame de France Church just off Leicester Square, of which I had been completely unaware. The church houses Our Lady\u2019s Chapel with its extraordinary Jean Cocteau mural, a space I found wonderfully tranquil, with Gregorian chant playing in the background. It is also home of the Notre Dame Refugee Centre.<\/p>\n

\"Jean<\/a>

Jean Cocteau mural, Notre Dame de France<\/p><\/div>\n

The display of what were originally religious works of art in secular contexts such as art galleries is a frequent topic of academic discussion, so the inclusion of works of art in The Wallace Collection and The National Gallery designated as Stations Five and Seven respectively de-framed them as works of art in a gallery and re-framed\/ restored them temporarily as religious pieces.<\/p>\n

I did not have time to do the whole trail, but the final two artworks I visited I found particularly striking; they were physically close but in both medium and location very different.<\/p>\n

At St Paul\u2019s Cathedral I saw Station Eleven – \u2018Crucifixion: Jesus is nailed to the cross\u2019 \u2013 which is not actually a depiction of the Crucifixion but Martyrs (Earth, Air, Fire, Water)<\/em> by Bill Viola and Kira Perov, described on the \u2018Stations\u2019 website as \u2018a cutting edge piece of video art and an homage to the themes and imagery of traditional altarpieces.\u2019 I watched the four-screen, free-standing installation a number of times, concentrating on each different element in succession, as well as trying to take in the piece as a whole.\u00a0 During that time various sightseers to St Paul’s appeared to glance at it for a few seconds then move on, perhaps highlighting the extent to which unfamiliar art in this context might be unwelcome or at least puzzling, and the extent to which many cathedrals are \u2018must see\u2019 tourist sites as well as devotional spaces.<\/p>\n

Among the issues we are examining in relation to the Pilgrimage and England\u2019s Cathedrals project is paying for admission to cathedrals, so I was interested to see how free admission for Station Eleven was handled. On presentation of the voucher I had printed from the \u2018Stations\u2019 website I was handed a blue sticky label with \u2018Bill Viola\u2019 printed on it and so gained free admission to the Cathedral (normally \u00a318); the voucher specifically states \u2018Free admission only to Martyr Altarpiece, not full Cathedral.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Sea<\/a>

Sea of Colour by Guler Ates, International Headquarters of The Salvation Army<\/p><\/div>\n

Just down the road I found my final station, Station Ten – \u2018Jesus is stripped of his garments\u2019 \u2013 represented by Sea of Colour<\/em> by Guler Ates, positioned in the International Headquarters of The Salvation Army. This a huge fabric artwork, according to the \u2018Stations\u2019 website composed of \u2018donated and discarded children\u2019s and baby clothes, too worn, damaged, or dirty to be used for charity,\u2019 created by the artist with women from local refugee groups. The work can be seen from the pavement outside the building, but it is well worth going inside to examine the detail of words written on the clothing (e.g. \u2018I am a child refugee I am scared of the sea\u2019) and to view the video documenting the construction of the piece and its journey across the Thames to the Salvation Army building.<\/p>\n

\"Sea<\/a>

Sea of Colour by Guler Ates, International Headquarters of The Salvation Army – detail<\/p><\/div>\n

The trail is an intriguing venture, into which much work, thought, imagination, creativity and cooperation have gone. It sets out to be inclusive, using the work of Christian, Jewish, Muslim and atheist artists, but also challenging in its use of a Christian devotional form in an innovative way to make people see new things, see familiar things in a new light, and to make imaginative leaps between then and now. I did not have time to get to everything on the trail, but it was a thought-provoking, visually stimulating and educational experience. \u00a0Supplied on the website are a Map, an App, information and podcasts related to the artworks and, importantly, the downloadable voucher giving free admission to St Paul\u2019s Cathedral, The Tower of London and the Temple Church to see the designated Stations there. Even if you cannot get to London while the trail is active, it\u2019s worth exploring the website as a sort of virtual pilgrimage.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.coexisthouse.org.uk\/stations2016.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Marion Bowman (Open University)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Among the many interests of the researchers on the AHRC funded project Pilgrimage and England\u2019s Cathedrals, Past and Present [http:\/\/www.pilgrimageandcathedrals.ac.uk\/about] is the role of art and material culture in English cathedrals: what sort of art is displayed in, and commissioned by, cathedrals, and how do people react to and interact with such art? I was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,7],"tags":[33,25],"class_list":["post-290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ideas","category-research-projects","tag-pilgrimage","tag-research"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/religious-studies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/religious-studies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/religious-studies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/religious-studies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/religious-studies\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=290"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/religious-studies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":297,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/religious-studies\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290\/revisions\/297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/religious-studies\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/religious-studies\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/religious-studies\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}