Stations_of_The_Cross
21 July-9 September 2003
 This exhibition has been transferred
to St Giles Oxford from the
Church of the
Holy Trinity, Cookham.
The 'Good
Friday?' Stations of the Cross project took place in
Cookham from the 6th to
the 20th of April 2003. 8 works of art depicting Christ's final journey to the
cross were displayed around the village of Cookham and many people followed them
individually or as a group on Good Friday.
The full series of stations with the 8 pieces and their
accompanying meditations can also be followed here on the internet.
Click here to
begin.
The ‘Good Friday?’ series of pictures and sculptures were
created by a group of artists from Holy Trinity Church in Cookham, Berkshire.
The 8 works of art and their associated meditations form an interpretation of
the ‘Stations of the Cross’, and were originally situated in a variety of
locations around the village of Cookham.
Over a two week period before Easter 2003 the paintings were
seen by people in the village as they went about their business. On Good Friday
a larger group walked the stations communally.
Many of the works were displayed in the open air and so were
painted on sign-boards rather than canvasses. We have been able to bring a
selection of the original eight pieces—where this has not been possible a
photograph of the original has been included.
The project was inspired partly by the work of the artist
Stanley Spencer, who often painted religious scenes based in and around Cookham.
A small copy of his work ‘Christ carrying the cross’ forms the seventh of the
eight stations. An original sketch of this painting can be seen in the Stanley
Spencer Gallery in Cookham.
The ‘Good Friday?’ project also contained a ‘virtual’ element
— the pictures and meditations placed around the village are also displayed on
the internet at www.goodfriday.org so that participants from around the world
have been able to join in and reflect on the stations. In particular the fifth
station, ‘Woman by the roadside wipes his face with love’ includes a ‘virtual
environment’ on the website to complement the ‘real life’ station.
It is our hope that as the Cookham Stations of the Cross are
exhibited once again the works of art would challenge and provoke thought about
the connections between Christ’s experience and our own journey through life.
We are also hoping that Churches and artists elsewhere will be
inspired to consider creating their own outdoor Stations of the Cross in their
own localities in 2004. In Cookham itself we hope to involve local schools to be
involved in creating pictures for the 2004 ‘Good Friday?’ project. Please feel
free to contact us via our website for further information about these ventures.
A visitors book has been provided—we would very much
appreciate your comments.
The ‘Good Friday?’ artists, Holy Trinity Church, Cookham
Email:
stg@goodfriday.org
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