Sunday, February 25, 2007

Close to the Vestment

Title: Close to the Vestment
Size: 10” X 10” X 4”
Date: 02-2007
Media: Assemblage
Materials: Cardboard, glass, and metal rosary.
Price: $600.00

Description:
There has always been a cloak of secrecy over the Catholic Church. I believe that this mystery breeds mistrust and creates a place that can conceal dysfunction. Tradition can be a beautiful expression of a people, but it can also be a hindrance to a change that is long overdue. “Close to the Vestment” pulls back this shroud and shows a more open church, one that can regain trust and become a healthier environment.

7 comments:

JH said...

...and other times, that cloak is exactly what we needed.



PS: Post "Three Memories."

, Ron said...

If by "other times" you mean the 3rd and 4th centuries in the Roman Empire, maybe.

But in todays society, why?
I see no need for it. I can understand wanting to be a family and close knit, but not to the exclusion of others.

How about being open, and inviting?

brendan said...

Wow how far I have traveled to the point where Ron and I have the same views on the church. This piece to me relates directly to the catholic church due to the specific choice of items which pertain to the Catholic church but indirectly relates to Church as a whole. You could have replaced the the vessel with a bible. Because that is the one thing that pastors and priests have truly kept from the people. They have used is a a tool to manipulate and control rather than a tool to free and love people.

, Ron said...

WOW, how far I have traveled when I am telling Brendan that the language used may be a bit to harsh against the church. Your words, though maybe not intentionally, seem to say that ALL (wo)men of the cloth are keeping the bible away from their parishioners. I certainly believe there are more than a few good minister/priest/pastors out there with the good of the people in mind. I don't mean this piece as an attack on all associated with the church, but I do mean it as a warning. A warning especially for those good ones, be careful how much you keep from your people, even if you think it is in their best interest.

brendan said...

No it wasn't directed at each and every minister, just a majority of them. I have known too many pastors and can say with almost certainty that they dont start this way but that as they begin to face issues in their congregation ( such as someone challenging them) they pervert the word to bring it under their control and then begin a spiral down the downward spiral.

, Ron said...

Unfortunate.

JH said...

To elaborate on the "cloak," I feel that the cloak has little to do with others. Sure, there is a perhaps unneccesary secrecy surrounding the church, but if someone wants to, they'll pull back the curtain themselves. I described the cloak as something "we" needed. I said this because that cloak is the very thing that has provided a certain and very unique refuge that one can always be sure will be the same. No matter what is happening outside of the cloak, what is inside will never change. There is great comfort in that for many.

Nonetheless, as with many other great things, it, too, has been abused.