Sanctuary
Sanctuary - A site & situation-specific installation
Bethany Presbyterian Church
Summer 2018
From September 2017-August 2018 I worked alongside members of Bethany Presbyterian to talk about how the arts and faith communities can better support one another. Through numerous conversations, volunteer work and retreats with Fuller Seminary I grew as an artist, friend and person of faith.
In the winter of 2018, myself, Serrah Russell and Kyle Turver asked Bethany congregants to answer the question “What is Sanctuary?” I then used the congregants’ answers to inform the large-scale installation seen in the sanctuary summer of 2018. Many congregants described sanctuary as safety, security, refuge, and the presence of God. After reading these answers, I visualized the comfort that comes from the cradling arms of a protector and nurturer. These cradles are represented in the large chiffon pieces that are draped above the pews. Congregants’ answers to the prompt “what is sanctuary?” all depicted a space that they would hope to see. To me, these writings seemed like prayers to God. These prayers asked for Bethany to be a place of refuge and safety where they could come to no matter how they were doing. To pay homage to these longings, I incorporated these prayers by tracing the actual handwriting of congregants with colored pencil onto the fabric.
God’s replies to these prayers are represented with multiple iterations within the installation. Seen hanging within the cradles are brightly colored resin shapes. Pyramids, cubes, spheres, rods and discs symbolize the promises God has made to his people throughout history. From the creation of the sphere known as Earth, to the freeing of the Egyptians from Pharaoh’s grasp, God has delivered and blessed his people and will continue to do so. These promises are wondrous and mysterious, and so I thought it best to depict them with mysterious and precious objects and shapes.
Throughout the summer, the sun shone through the windows of the sanctuary and illuminated the room. To highlight the blessing of the summers here in Seattle, I hung prisms in the windows that casted rainbows onto the walls. These rainbows also symbolize the promise God made to Noah in the Old Testament.
When I visited Bethany this winter, I noticed that some of the stained glass windows on the north and south side still had their original warm toned panes. To pay homage to the long history of this church, I placed orange colored gels onto the panes of the other windows. These gels also create an even warmer glow within the sanctuary.
The beauty of this installation has been in its collaborative efforts. I feel immensely blessed to have worked alongside such a loving church body that has such a deep history. Having not only the spiritual support, but also the monetary support of Bethany has increased my hope for the future of the relationship between the creative and faith communities within our city. This installation would not have been possible without the help of Kyle Turver, Serrah Russell, Sebastian Loo, John Clement and the congregants of Bethany. A huge thanks to the willing hearts at Bethany who have opened themselves up to this collaboration and to me as friends. I know that this installation helped them as they processed new conversations and decisions about homosexuality within their congregation. I pray that Bethany would continue to grow into a place of refuge, safety, and sanctification for all people.
Video of Sanctuary’s install courtesy of Biome Cinema
To learn more, read Serrah Russell and Kyle Turver’s interview with Bratton here: Reflections on Sanctuary
Congregants of Bethany Presbyterian were asked to answer the prompt “What is Sanctuary?” Their responses were then transferred onto the fabric seen in Sanctuary using colored pencils. A selection of their answers can be seen below.
