Illuminating The Word: The St. Johns Bible Exhibit, Santa Fe, NM

The weekend of November 5th I was scheduled to go to the New Mexico History Museum to do some demonstrating for the exhibit of the St. John's Bible. Well, true to New Mexico style, a road worker decided to dig up a main power line causing a blackout at the museum and the demos were cancelled that day. Fortunately, the lecture and presentation the following Monday were not.

The St. John's Bible was an idea that germinated in 1995 as Donald Jackson, England's preeminent calligrapher to the Queen, proposed the project to the St. John's College board of trustees. After signing a contract in 1998, artwork on the 15 year, $12 million project was begun. Reaching it's culmination in 2011 with the final book of Revelation, this multi-volume hand lettered and illuminated work of art is magnificent to behold.

The St. John's Abbey in Collegeville MN is founded on Benedictine principles. They assembled a multi-faith team consisting of "artists, medievalists, theologians, biblical scholars and art historians¹" to provide background and direction to Jackson and his team for each illumination, though the artistic execution rested ultimately on the shoulders of Jackson and his chosen artist-illuminators.

The bible itself was constructed using both ancient and modern techniques; the huge folios are written on calfskin vellum using goose and swan quills and 19th century Chinese stick ink. Text layout and some design were done utilizing computers to make sure that each scribe knew where the text was supposed to end on each page, since these were all written in loose folios.

With a goal of making the work a relevant one for the reader of today, the illuminations (illustrations of text) incorporate contemporary imagery and bold graphic quality that are executed with astonishing skill and confidence. These artworks are even more impressive when it is considered that they were done after the pages of text were written, leaving no margin for error.

Suzanne Moore (American) Sirach Folio

Donald Jackson came to Santa Fe's Lensic theater to speak about the project and the associated exhibit. In his hour long talk he spoke of the process of the written page, having four main scribes learn a common script that was developed to allow ease in modern readability and yet impart an sense of the sacred to the text itself. "Calligraphy is something that visually gives words importance" he said in his lecture, and Jackson certainly seems to have a sense of this project and it's place in history. He spoke of the communication that happens between the artist and an artwork as he tried to apprehend the text to be illustrated, and bring the artwork into contemporary understanding. An example is the "Revelation" folio below, where the valley of dry bones shows not only bones, but human industrial detritus as well such as one might see in a junkyard.

Donald Jackson (English) Revelation Folio - Dry Bones (click to enlarge)

Jackson and his artists used recurring, modern themes as imagery throughout the work, such as the textured DNA framework in a gold leafed pattern that pervades the genealogy page of the Gospel of Matthew from background to foreground in layers of artwork with depth and complexity throughout the stylized menorah.

Donald Jackson (English) - Gospel of Matthew Folio (click to enlarge)

The exhibit itself at NMHM is one of the best I could conceive of, with curator Tom Leach taking a personal interest in having brought the bible to the museum after a 6 year negotiation. The current exhibition is titled 'The St. John's Bible and The Contemplative Landscape", and is exhibited in the round with a circular configuration of interior walls. The bible is displayed along with an exhibit of photography of a contemplative nature that compliments the spirit of both bodies of work. Cases were constructed to exhibit the Bible folios that allow a viewer to get very close to view details of the works.

(click to enlarge)

The use of gold, according to Jackson, catches a viewer's attention, and gives a sense of importance to the text. It asks a question and invites exploration into the meaning of it's use. Indeed, as one walks through an exhibit such as this, the eye is continually attracted to the next case as the gold changes in the light the closer one gets to the next artwork.

I was impressed not only with the St. Johns Bible artwork, but the conceptual quality of the thought behind the work. Commentary is made through imagery of our world today and also into the consciousness of the preservation of the planet. The folio below of armageddon shows not only the horrors of war but also some of the roots of war and the degradation of our atmosphere and environment, combining biblical plagues with images of oil wells and modern tanks.

(click to enlarge)

It is not often that I long to return to an exhibit to study imagery more, but this is one that I will return to again.

Many Artists and Calligraphers were a part of this project, including Americans Thomas Ingmire, Diane Von Arx, and Suzanne Moore. Friend Izzy Pludwinski of Israel was also involved in the titling of the books of the Tanach.

¹"The St. John's Bible; http://www.saintjohnsbible.org/process/principles_bible.htm

Film Review: Transformation and redemption in "Wasteland"

It is difficult to watch people in difficult circumstances. More than a dramtization of events, a documentary introduces you to the actual participants and allows a gut level reaction, and an identification that allows empathy as you hear the story.

Wasteland was a difficult film for me to watch. I didn’t like seeing the dirt and the filth in which people were forced to work. Yet I had respect for the reasons some were there: honest work, to stay off the streets, to simply try to earn a living vs. stealing. Vik Muniz’ vision of giving back to this sector of his community is a grand gesture to bring to light a hidden society. What he didn’t count on was that he would become involved and care about the lives of his participants.

Muniz’ original idea was to do a project that would benefit the hidden society of Jardim Gramacho in Rio de Janiero. This site is the largest landfill in the world, and is a virtual island of garbage  where the catadores, or garbage pickers, earn their living. Many of the workers originated from lower middle class circumstances, as did the artist himself. Muniz decided to use his photography and alternative-materials art concepts to create works that would be sold and the resulting profits donated back to this community.

His concept was to find models for the imagery, create scenes to photograph for use as artwork, and then use the garbage to form works of art. The process involved projecting a photographic image on the floor of his studio and having the workers and models themselves place the garbage in the light and shadow areas as he directed from a high platform above. Areas that needed shading would be tended to by Vik with dirt and a sifter. When the image was complete, he would then photograph it.

Some very interesting things happened. At a certain point of working with the catadores, a couple of them declared that they never wanted to go back to work at the land fill. A scene of a discussion between Vik and his wife and partner centered around having the workers in the studio. Were they giving them too much hope? Was it better to just let them stay in their own circumstances and not wish for things they couldn’t have. Was it cruel? It was an interesting process to watch, and a brilliant addition to the film because it is the age old controversy… who are we as individuals to decide what information others should or should not have? In the conversation Vik makes the assertion that hope is a good thing for anyone and could be a motivating factor in a transformation for some in the community.

As the project is finished, Muniz chooses a piece (based on “The Death of Marat” by David) to take to London for auction which features Tiao, a worker who has formed an association on behalf of the catadores. He takes Tiao to London to witness the auction at which the artwork sells for 39,000 pounds. It is an astonishing experience and a broadening of worldview that would affect Tiao for the rest of his life, in addition to the proceeds that would help with his community.

Back in Brazil, Muniz has an opening at the Rio de Janiero Museum of Modern Art for all the work he completed, and the workers can now come and see the whole body of work in which they were involved. The monetary result of this show is that over $250,000 is raised on their behalf.

In the end, the transformational process was distinct. Some of the workers declared that they could never go back, and some returned to their life, richer for the experience, and some, like Tiao, used the tools they had gained to expand help for the community. Especially poignant were some final scenes where the artist brought these museum quality pieces of art and presented each participant with a portrait of themselves to hang on the walls of their humble living circumstances. It was a fitting ending, and the contrast of setting was as impactful as the process of transforming garbage into beautiful works of art.

This film illustrates what is truly important about a successful work of art: the ability to deeply touch the emotion and wonder of the people it comes into contact with.