Contemplating the Desert
by ROS FAIRLESS, The Messenger
THE LENTEN ‘pilgrimage of preparation’ at Church
of the Resurrection in Swanbourne will be enriched by prayerful engagement with religious art from local and international artists, culminating in a half-day retreat, ‘Contemplating the Desert,’ from 10am to 2pm on Saturday 21 March.
This engagement was foreshadowed on Wednesday
4 February, with the revealing of the newly installed Stations of the Resurrection by local artist, Sarah Davies, and the launch of the 2016 Mandorla Art Award.
Speaking on ‘The Resurrection’ - the spiritual theme
for the 2016 Award - Archbishop Timothy Costelloe emphasised the impulses of Love and Life at the heart
of the resurrection mystery, and the continual nature
of God’s resurrection activity, as demonstrated in the major movements of the Christ narratives: birth, baptism, healing, deliverance, trans guration, cruci xion, burial, resurrection, ascension, and beyond.
While the Stations of the Resurrection invite us to travel the resurrection road, the Via Lucia, or Way of Light, ‘Contemplating the Desert’ offers engagement with additional contemporary paintings by international artist, Audrey Tulimiero Welch. The works will re ect Audrey’s ongoing investigation of the themes of pilgrimage and journey, sourced from the wisdom of the ancient Desert Fathers and Mothers. Installed at the heart of the nave, enriching the journey from font to altar, they represent
a stopping-point for stillness and re ection along the Lenten way. Audrey writes: “Extremely poignant is the
use of painting as a language to invite viewers to re ect on the Lenten challenge of silence and travelling deeper into the centre of the true self, into God”.
All are welcome to ‘Contemplating the Desert’; a time for contemplative engagement with, and response to, religious art and texts. A donation of $10 is suggested to cover costs. Lunch may be taken at Choux café, just a short stroll from the church.
http://flipbook.perth.anglican.org/Messenger/2015/March/files/assets/common/downloads/page0017.pdf