Art (installations) are a good way of communicating with people of different stages of faith. The images here are from the Stations of the Cross in Hamilton: an art installation that is created anew every evening of Holy Week in the Hamilton Gardens and again taken down every night after midnight.
It is a whole body experience for everyone. For the artists in keeping it running while getting more and more tired every evening and for the visitors who walk through the gardens with torches, encountering images, installations, film, and a hot chocolate at the end. Nothing is prescribed and everyone is free to react and interact differently to/with the installation. Everyone can take their time and engage as much as they feel safe. It offers active participation with open ended interpretation; room to move physically and cognitively. Creating the artwork is worship and communication as well.
I feel, however, that art installations and mystic experiences work particularly well for the early stages of faith (0 to 2) and again at the later stages (5+6). At stage 3 and 4, the looming loss of conformity may make it too scary to venture out into the unknown. Then, imagery such as icons may be perceived as safer because they are sanctioned by tradition.-----
*Some of my points here have been addressed in much more detail in “The Prodigal Project” by Mike Riddell, Mark Pierson and Cathy Kirkpatrick (SPCK), all three of them from New Zealand (including the big West Island)!
** Icon is “The Holy Family” by Janet McKenzie, copyright 2007. www.janetmckenzie.com, Collection of Loyola School, New York, NY
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