Extraordinary Time (1995)

These six panels set forth the liturgical seasons interwoven by themes from the natural and mythological year. Each of the first five panels represents a liturgical season by use of color, objects or symbols particularly associated with it. Reading left to right they are Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter and Pentecost. The sixth panel represents the Future, a time of opening up the cycle to renewal and new possibilities. Horizontally, suggestions of a natural landscape and river continue across the panels. The mythological year is portrayed by the position of the sun, moving into various relationships with the landscape and seasons.

The entire piece constitutes a continuous unfolding of spirit-filled presence in creation. Always there is an anticipation of what is to come and an echo of things past. For example, black dominates the Lent panel, but has its beginning in Christmas and trails on in a diminished way through Easter and Pentecost. The flame of the Advent candles becomes full-blown in the flame of Pentecost, which in turn is transformed into the green tree of the Future.

My original conception of this work was that the Advent panel would be hung during Advent, the Christmas panel added at Christmas, and the other pieces in turn throughout the year until the full year brought the piece to completion.

Each panel is hand woven in a traditional tapestry technique on a large frame loom. It is predominantly made of wool, with accents of silk, cotton, rayon, and glass, copper wire and coconut fibre.

Extraordinary Time is on permanent display in the Trask Library, Andover Newton Theological School. Each panel measures 18"X54".

 

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