05/14/2018
Art that touched the soul.
I myself worship in the Church of Nature, but I love nothing more than to wander ancient cathedrals and their cloisters, listening to the stories, marveling at the carvings, taking in the architecture and sensing the ghosts of history. So upon entering the Nave of Canterbury Cathedral this morning, I looked forward to what I would encounter and learn. I was stopped in my tracks by the extraordinary artwork by Arabella Dorman entitled “Suspended”, where, hanging from the ancient stones above, were “…clothes and shoes salvaged from [the beaches and the camps of] Le**os and Calais, having been discarded by refugees when they were offered clean, dry clothes…to replace those that they had lived in for weeks and even months”… after having survived multiple threats of drowning, hypothermia, hunger, thirst and unspeakable fear on their sea crossings. The description goes on to ask us to: “…imagine the lives of the individual men, women and children who have worn them as they risk everything to escape the violence of their homeland. By bringing the hidden wearers of these garments into our immediate presence, you are invited to contemplate the real individuals behind the politics and the human stories behind one of the most defining issues of our time.“
There is a light in the center of the installation; it brightens to represent the light of hope that the refugees carry on their journey. And then it dims, to remind the viewer that to “leave these individuals unseen and in darkness”… is to “ignore their plight and turn away from one of the most urgent and yet complicated issues of our time.”
Whatever your politics are, however gentle or hard you lean, may art always serve to facilitate discussion, civility, inspiration and enlightment, fostering community wherever it resides.
Today I found it in a holy place, and I lit a candle for all of us, because we are all connected. 🕯