North Photo: Nick Kane
North Elevation
Bronze
8,000 x 3,300 x 60mm
Lumen United Reformed Church, Bloomsbury, London
2009
Architect: Theis & Khan
Artists: Rona Smith, Alison Wilding
Art Consultant: Modus Operandi
Permanent window commission with Modus Operandi Art Consultants
Photo: Nick Kane
Further images of the project can be viewed at the following sites:
The North Window panel is constructed from a web of whirling squares suspended in the window alcove. The squares spiral out from a central 'eye' whilst the panel itself curves into the space forming a sculptural arc which echoes the two dimensional pattern.
This geometry is the basis for a number of traditional designs in various sacred contexts. In Hindu and Buddhist traditions, geometric mandala designs symbolically represent the universe or cosmos and are used to aid meditation and establish sacred spaces. Variations on the spinning square pattern may be found in these designs. There are similar patterns in Islamic architectural plans which demonstrate how a dome is constructed and consequently decorated. The squares would unfurl from the highest point of a Mosque for example, naturally forming a potentially infinite dome shape. They would be used as a template over which to create more elaborate geometric configurations.
Symbolic geometry is integrated into the design of Greek and Roman architecture as well as Medieval European cathedrals. In the United Reformed Church, the North window sculpture aims to explore how geometry unites different, often highly contrasting systems of symbolism and representation, all of which signify an approach to the eternal.
The pattern can be detected in natural phenomena such as whirlpools, surf and hurricanes. A sense of the vital energy and swell of water, of 'living water', is suggested by the fluid sculptural form of the installation as it falls into the space.