Religion without decadence
The harsh side of religion-
Monday, 3 December 2012
Mark Blinch
His photography 'Keeping the faith in Detroit'.. St Leo's Catholic Church
Religion without decadence
The harsh side of religion-
Religion without decadence
The harsh side of religion-
opposite of decadent
I was researching churches that have been abandoned and left to rot and came across an article about churches perishing in Detroit and across North America in general. People simply can't afford to keep them running and so they eventually get closed down or merged with another church but people forget about the service that these churches provide to their struggling communities.
Mark Blinch looked into what is happening with these places of worship and documented it through photography
Martyrs of Uganda Catholic Church- closed in 2006 and has been left since then.
St. Leo's Catholic Church, Detroit: lacking of general upkeep
Soup kitchen at the bottom of the church
Mark Blinch looked into what is happening with these places of worship and documented it through photography
Martyrs of Uganda Catholic Church- closed in 2006 and has been left since then.
St. Leo's Catholic Church, Detroit: lacking of general upkeep
Soup kitchen at the bottom of the church
Fabrice Fouillet
I found a French photographer called Fabrice Fouillet based in Paris. He works with a variation of matter from still life to architecture to fashion and product editorials but the work of his that I am interested in (and his latest) is entitled Corpus Christi meaning 'Body of Christ':
It highlights the sacred architecture of modern churches and cathedrals built in the 20th century, and a minimalistic aesthetic captures the striking effect of those places of worship.
I have read that these churches caused a public outcry when they were first revealed as the architectural structures were in conflict with traditional notions of religious architecture and conservative members of society.
On his website Fouillet writes: 'Corpus Christi highlights the architectural aesthetic of the new places of worship and their hymn to minimalism, which has represented a genuine creative inspiration in modern religious architecture... Scattered throughout Europe and the world, they reveal a new conception of the sacred, a representation of the divine imbued with modernity, thus triggering a debate and a rejection from some architects and members of the clergy. I have chosen to capture this break with the choice of materials; reinforced concrete, plastic, crystal, diffusion of diaphanous and bright light. This work also insists that many unique interior structures could be made for the same type of institution.
Kirche am Hohenzollernplatz, Berlin, Germany, completed in 1933 by architect: Fritz Hoger
St Joseph, Le Havre, France, completed in 1956 by architect: Auguste Perret
St Ludwig, Saarelouis, Germany, completed in 1970 by architect: Gottfried Böhn
St Thérèse, Metz, France, completed in 1959 by architect: André Remondet
It highlights the sacred architecture of modern churches and cathedrals built in the 20th century, and a minimalistic aesthetic captures the striking effect of those places of worship.
I have read that these churches caused a public outcry when they were first revealed as the architectural structures were in conflict with traditional notions of religious architecture and conservative members of society.
On his website Fouillet writes: 'Corpus Christi highlights the architectural aesthetic of the new places of worship and their hymn to minimalism, which has represented a genuine creative inspiration in modern religious architecture... Scattered throughout Europe and the world, they reveal a new conception of the sacred, a representation of the divine imbued with modernity, thus triggering a debate and a rejection from some architects and members of the clergy. I have chosen to capture this break with the choice of materials; reinforced concrete, plastic, crystal, diffusion of diaphanous and bright light. This work also insists that many unique interior structures could be made for the same type of institution.
Kirche am Hohenzollernplatz, Berlin, Germany, completed in 1933 by architect: Fritz Hoger
St Joseph, Le Havre, France, completed in 1956 by architect: Auguste Perret
St Ludwig, Saarelouis, Germany, completed in 1970 by architect: Gottfried Böhn
St Thérèse, Metz, France, completed in 1959 by architect: André Remondet
INDIGO PROJ
DECADENCE & AUSTERITY RESEARCH:
CONTRADICTORY FORCES
So far I have been mainly looking into ideas of decadence within religion and places of worship but now I want to somehow involve austerity as well. i quite like the idea of combining both words together whether it be they gradually merge or link.
I started to think about religion more as an act than the aesthetics of it. Religion no matter what type or what part of the world it is from can be something that people live their life by or it can simply be a form of comfort for people in times of need. I want to look at the austere side of religion.
Solemnity
Severity
Devotion
Abstinence
Self discipline
Puritanism
I related this to the architectural side of the religious spaces I have researched and thought of rigid lines, minimalism, simple structures, stripping, breaking down, modernity.
Some images I found to link to this:
Dom Brosco Cathedral, Brasil:
Israel Museum:
Chapel of the Holy Cross, Sedona:
Hallgrimskirkja Church, Reykjavík, Iceland:
CONTRADICTORY FORCES
So far I have been mainly looking into ideas of decadence within religion and places of worship but now I want to somehow involve austerity as well. i quite like the idea of combining both words together whether it be they gradually merge or link.
I started to think about religion more as an act than the aesthetics of it. Religion no matter what type or what part of the world it is from can be something that people live their life by or it can simply be a form of comfort for people in times of need. I want to look at the austere side of religion.
Solemnity
Severity
Devotion
Abstinence
Self discipline
Puritanism
I related this to the architectural side of the religious spaces I have researched and thought of rigid lines, minimalism, simple structures, stripping, breaking down, modernity.
Some images I found to link to this:
Dom Brosco Cathedral, Brasil:
Israel Museum:
Chapel of the Holy Cross, Sedona:
Hallgrimskirkja Church, Reykjavík, Iceland:
INDIGO PROJ
RESEARCH:
(Primary)
These are photographs of my own that I have taken from religious places I have visited in the past.
Sri Lanka- Polonnaruwa ruin's
Palma De Mallorca Cathedral:
Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca, Morocco
La Marrakesh Restaurant, Morocco:
Morocco:
Prague:
(Primary)
These are photographs of my own that I have taken from religious places I have visited in the past.
Sri Lanka- Polonnaruwa ruin's
Hassan II Mosque, Casablanca, Morocco
La Marrakesh Restaurant, Morocco:
Morocco:
Prague:
Palma De Mallorca Cathedral:
INDIGO PROJ
DECADENCE & AUSTERITY:
Church of Sao Domingo in Oaxaca, Mexico:
European ceiling mural:
Mexican Baroque Cathedral:
Gloucester Cathedral:
Cambodia Temple:
Mexican Baroque Architecture:
The Indigo project has begun and I have started to look into what the two words mean to me. After writing down words that I relate to decadence and austerity I decided to focus on the idea of decadence within religion and religious places of worship. I don't want to focus on one cultures religion in particular but rather scared places in general. I want to look at the lavish and overwhelming side of the architecture and interior's of these spaces.
Here are some images that I found to start me off:
Hindu Architecture- From the 1969 book Living Architecture: India by Andreas Volwahsen
Church of Sao Domingo in Oaxaca, Mexico:
European ceiling mural:
Mexican Baroque Cathedral:
Gloucester Cathedral:
Cambodia Temple:
Mexican Baroque Architecture:
Palace De Versailles:
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