On the Fringe of Heaven 2012: Images of the Light

Last year, our project “On the Fringe of Heaven” invited people to come imagine what heaven might look like.  Artist Jenna Mortemore began to create her own image of what she imagined heaven to be like using the front sidewalk of Holy Trinity as a palette.  Visitors to Holy Trinity and our Fringe venues (BYOV) were invited to add chalk drawings of their own visualizations of what heaven might be like.  The final result was amazing and you can view it here as it progressed in the 7 days of activity.

Icons are windows into Heaven.  They point to something beyond themselves.  In an icon we see the world, human beings, events and objects in light of God’s action.  As Rowan Williams says “in their presence you become aware that you are present to God and that God is working on you by his grace, as he does in the lives and words of holy people, supremely in the words of Scripture and the person of Jesus.”

This year Jenna returns with fellow artist Paul Holowack.  Inspired by the theme of icons they have proposed a fabulous project that’s sure to touch your soul.  Here’s a description of what lies in store for this year’s fringe goes ‘On the Fringe of Heaven: Images of the Light’ in the words of the artists.

The space provided by the Holy Trinity Anglican Church provides a fraternal and practical space for community and artistic events. The crux of our mural is interactive; we would like to invite any willing patrons to volunteer to be a model for a silhouette. Working with figurative stencils melded with varying patterns and textures created using chalk and paint-chalk we aim to invoke a sense of community and experience. As this mural is being created in tandem with the Fringe Festival, it is our endeavor to incorporate any patron’s interaction within the piece, to create a Festival long performance of our own.

Aesthetically, we are referencing artists such as Daniel Richter and Keith Haring, albeit in a more outlined and interactive manner. Using exclusively chalk, we are planning to begin by outlining various figurative silhouettes on the sidewalk and the walls of the church. We will continue to overlay the outlines and incorporate patterns, colors and textures, adding layers, dimension, and vivacity. The main portion of the mural will be the large sidewalk in the front yard of the building where focal point will be an unidentifiable light source in which all of the figures are centered around. Around the walls of the church and the sidewalks of the perimeter, we will be drawing outlines of the figure and footsteps as a means to guide people around the mural and into the building.

We hope to see you there, and look forward to your involvement in our project.  Here are the times we will be actively working on the mural:

Jenna & Paul

See the images as they unfold each day, come by an say hello and add your own image.

August 17, 2012 (Jenna 4-8 PM)

August 18, 2012 (Jenna 4-9 PM)

August 19, 2012 (Jenna & Paul 1-6 PM)

August 20, 2012 (Paul 3-7 PM, Jenna 7-9 PM)

August 21, 2012 (Jenna 2-7 PM)

August 22, 2012 (Jenna 4-8 PM, Paul 5:30-7)

August 23, 2012 (Jenna 4-9 PM)

August 24, 2012 (Jenna 4-8 PM)

August 25, 2012 (Jenna 4-9 PM, Paul 5:30-8 PM)

August 26, 2012 (Jenna 1-6 PM)