Synod Home :: Centre for Theology & Ministry :: Upcoming events & Workshops :: Wisdom's Feast :: Holy3

Holy3

Visual artists are invited to represent the experience of holiness and submit an expression of interest for the Holy3 art exhibition at the Centre for Theology and Ministry.

Artists Brief

When contemporary systems are teetering, on the verge of collapse, where do we hear the call of the Holy God? What does holiness look like in this time and place, where wars rage, and devastation strikes? We’ve chosen the book of Isaiah as inspiration for Wisdom’s Feast and this exhibition. For Isaiah, holiness has three prisms or perspectives:

~ Holiness lies beyond the grasp of the prophet, it is the holy ‘other’;

~ Holiness is where the prophet stands, the numinous space between heaven and earth;

~ Holiness is in the world, present in the holiness of the suffering one.

After the bushfires in Victoria, Isaiah’s ancient words of fiery destruction disturb and unsettle us. The urgent call of the holy God cleanses and provokes a burning response; “I’m here, send me”. We have seen this in the outflow of compassion in our community.

However, artists are not limited to the text of Isaiah 6, but may engage with the whole sweep of the book of Isaiah which moves from deepest loss to consolation and regeneration. Indeed, inspiration and imagery of the idea of the holy may come from many sources.

For further information and to submit an expression of interest form, please download the Holy³ information sheet

Works may be in any medium and artists are invited to submit an expression of interest to the steering group. A panel convened by the steering group will select works for exhibition. Artists may offer their artwork for sale. An administration fee of $20 covers the production of an exhibition catalogue. You may submit:

Painting	Drawing
Sculpture	Textile arts
Multimedia	Performance art
Calligraphy	Iconography

Entries close Friday 15 May, 2009. A panel will assess all entries, and artists will be notified of selection outcome by Friday 29 May 2009. Entries may be submitted electronically. Please see the back of this brochure for more terms and conditions.

Artists Prompts

Rev. Dr. Wes Campbell has prepared some resources as prompts for artists to prepare artwork for the exhibition Holy³.

• Shaking the Foundations

Isaiah the prophet is located in the times when kings are mortal; the great king dies, and Isaiah is overtaken by a vision. The temple shakes. He is singled out. But the utter holiness of the Approach terrifies and disqualifies him.

He lives at a time when kings go to war; when the land is devastated and the Holy Other Lord wrestles with an unfaithful covenant partner, calling for a true partnership.

When the Holy intrudes, it uncovers the lies and deceptions of the human heart.

• Holiness and the New City

The exhibition title is ‘Holy³” – holy cubed.

The last book of the Christian Scriptures is an account of the apostle John’s vision of the new Jerusalem – God’s city ‘coming down’ to make its home on earth, among mortals. Notice as you read the text, that the city is described as a cube!