Photography

Minneapolis

Hung at: Du Nord Craft Spirits, Minneapolis, June 2015

Phoenix Theater, Minneapolis, July 2015 – October 2015

Longfellow neighborhood, Minneapolis

Apostle Islands Ice Caves, WI

Longfellow Neighborhood, Minneapolis

Frederick, WI

U of MN Campus, Minneapolis

East Lake Street, Minneapolis

Powderhorn Park, Minneapolis

Midtown Greenway, Minneapolis

Fredreick, WI

Elk River, MN

Baker Park Reserve, MN

Lake Street, Minneapolis

Midtown Greenway, Minneapolis

Longfellow neighborhood, Minneapolis

Interactions with the Sacred

Hung at: First Unitarian Society, Minneapolis January-February, 2015;

Blue Moon Coffee, Minneapolis, April 2015

Close of the Day Stonehenge, Wiltshire, England Sunsets are themselves the end of a cycle and are often seen as metaphors for the end of a life or the end of an undertaking. Though Stonehenge itself has seen many sunsets, its striking view and unknown origins have kept it in steady use as a place of worship. We may never know its original use, but it has become, and will likely remain, a sacred site for many people.

Past, Present, and Future Museum of Natural History, Oxford, England Though some sacred spaces are easily define by temples, prayers and clergy, there are new spaces where a new generation is finding reverence. The Museum of Natural History is a glimpse into a past larger than ourselves where we put our own lives in context. Though not a traditionally sacred place, we still hush our voices and refrain from exuberance while between those hallowed walls.

Remembering Mandela Parliament Square, London, England We create sacred space when and where we need them. An anonymous mourner created a sacred space in which to express their grief and respect by placing flowers on the boot of the statue erected to Mandela. Though that space my not remain sacred after those flowers wither and are tossed away, for this instant it was a sanctified memorial.

Ascension through Flames Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France These two photos, taken in Indonesia and France demonstrate our shared belief that fire is sacred. Here, people have left their hopes and prayers in a Hindu temple and a Christian cathedral, lit among the darkness to bear their wishes to their gods. (2/2)

Shalom Cimetière Coline du Château, Nice, France Memorials, and graves, are one of the primary places we, as humans, create sacredness. Here, someone has left a candle to burn to the ground, joining in a tradition of memorial fires that spans the world.

Sainted Stones St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City Though St. Peter’s Square is the historical seat of Catholicism, the statues that overlook it were installed in the late1600s. More recently, lights were installed on each statue. Each new development changes the environment around it, but doesn’t change to numbers of people who flock to this place to worship and pay respects to their chosen religion.

St. Peter’s Bird St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City We treat the divine and the sacred with reverence, but our companions on this earth share no such limitations. This seagull found a calm perch amid the crowd of people thronging St. Peter’s Square in the week before Easter.

Capricious Avatars Sacred Monkey Forest, Ubud, Bali, Indonesiar Balinese Hinduism believes that monkeys can be both a positive and negative force. The monkeys of the Sacred Monkey Forest are meant to embody the positive, though their tendency to steal food, bags and shiny objects leads many visitors to believe the opposite. Here, the interaction with the sacred may happen as a quiet moment in a shrine, but more likely the sacred will approach you, begging for bananas.

Tools of the Trade Bali, Baskets filled with offerings of flowers, sweet grass, cookies, candy, tobacco or incense are used in Balinese Hinduism to bless homes, shops, schools and any other place in need of a blessing. This offering was placed on the worktable in a silversmithing shop where we learned to make rings. Indonesia

Gazing toward Nirvana Borobudur Temple, Yogyakarta, Indonesia A 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple in central Java, Borobudur consists of ten levels. Each level is circumnavigable and covered with narrative reliefs. These reliefs were preserved for hundreds of years by being covered in ash by Merapi volcano. Upon its rediscovery, many of the sacred objects were removed. Since then, governments have vacillated between returning the objects to the site and placing them in museums where more people can appreciate the beauty created to celebrate the Buddha.

Unquiet Mountain Borobudur, Yogyakarta, Indonesia This Buddha gazes serenely over the neighboring volcano which once hid the temple in ash for centuries. Though it has watched that volcano since the 9th century, it now keeps vigil over the homes, roads and towns that have sprung up in modern times.

Set in Stone Yogyakarta, Indonesia Amid the hustle and bustle of one of the most populated islands in the world, this statue bows peacefully for eternity. Her flowers are replaced daily by the monks who live and work in the quiet of the monastery.

Maintaining the Grounds Yogyakarta, Indonesia Two acolytes keep the grounds of their temple tidy while more skilled artisans do repair work on the temple itself.

Ascension through Flames Sri Ganesar Temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia These two photos, taken in Indonesia and France demonstrate our shared belief that fire is sacred. Here, people have left their hopes and prayers in a Hindu temple and a Christian cathedral, lit among the darkness to bear their wishes to their gods. (1/2)

Eternal Dancers Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Though the Batu Caves are best known for the 100 meter tall statue of Lord Murugan at the base, these statues hold court above the 272 stairs leading to the cave mouth. Popularized by K. Thamboosamy Pillai, an Indian trader, as a sacred site in 1890, the Batu Caves have become the Malaysian center for the Thaipusam festival. The current popularity of the caves as a sacred site speaks to the ways in which we can create and believe in sacredness.

To Those We will Never Know Killing Fields, Phnom Penh, Cambodia The atrocities of the Khmer Rouge are still being discovered, but on this fence, thousands of people have left a prayer for the dead. Behind these bamboo slats lay the bones of hundreds of children and infants murdered for being born to a parent accused of learning, art, or other such seditious acts. Here lie the many unquiet souls who went to their gods before they knew this world.

Between the Nagas Watt Phnom, Phnom Penh, Cambodia Certain exchanges you don’t need language to understand. As this mother and daughter approached Watt Phenom, the daughter stubbornly refused to put on her temple clothes. After a few minutes of insisting, the mother got her daughter dressed and they ascended into the Watt Phenom, the sacred heart of Phenom Penh.

Old Friends Bayon Temple, Angkor Thom, Siem Riep, Cambodia These statues have been gazing serenely past each other since the turn of the 13th century. Built in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition by King Jayavarman VII, the temple has undergone various additions and restorations in the ensuing centuries, though the faces on the numerous temple spires have remained its distinguishing feature.

A Temple Re-Designed Angkor Thom, Siem Riep, Cambodia Disassembled for use in building roads and buildings during the reign of the Khmer Rouge, these stones offer archaeologists one of the most complex jigsaw puzzles in the world. While they wait for their turn to be reassembled, this boy plays without regard for their once-sacred history.

Reclaiming the Temple Preah Palilay, Angkor Thom, Siem Riep, Cambodia Preah Palilay was an active religious and governmental site between the 12th and 13th centuries. It fell into disuse and was slowly reclaimed by the jungle in the late 13th century. In the early 1900s, restoration efforts began but were halted in the late 1900s by the Khmer Rouge. During the reign of the Khmer Rouge, much of the Angkor Thom complex reverted to jungle or was actively disassembled. Preah Palilay is currently scheduled for further restoration efforts, but no dates have been set.

Holding the Lotus Patuxai, Vientiene, Laos Modeled after the Arc d’Triumph, the Patuxai is colloquially known as the Vertical Runway because the cement was donated by the United States for the purpose of paving a runway in the capital city. Officials at the time re-purposed the donation as a memorial to the Laotian soldiers who died in WWII and the Indepdence War from France. Buddhism, the official religion of Laos, is celebrated in the metal Buddhas that face the four directions though this boy was more interested in the view than the religious significance.

Catching the Sun Chiang Mai, Thailand These prayer flags caught the evening light on a street in Chiang Mai. Dozens of temples hold hundreds of priests in this northern Thai city, making it a place where the devout and curious come to worship and learn about Buddhism

Shared Joy Golgulsa Temple, Gyeongju, South Korea This laughing Buddha statue sits just off the road to Golgulsa Temple, the headquarters for the warrior monks of Sunmudo. Though surrounded by statues that reinforce fierceness and martial prowess, this statue, and the offerings left on the base, speak to the human need for hope and joy.

Pure Water Osaka Castle Complex, Osaka, Japan Ablutions, or some sort of purification of the body, before entering a sacred space is a common thread among many religions. Japanese Buddhist temples have small fountains with dippers to wash the face and mouth before entering the holy place.

Flower in the Mountains Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto, Japan The photo of this shrine is taken from the main temple in the same complex. The proximity of the two buildings forces visitors to notice, and interact with, both the shrine and the temple.

Speaking with the Dragon Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto, Japan The Seiryu-e festival dances the blue dragon around the Kiyomizu temple in a celebration of spring. This ancient tradition includes warriors, priests and musicians. Here, a woman follows the tradition by calling to the dragon on the conch shell horn.

Awaiting the Call to Prayer Peckham Islamic Center, London, England Amid growing tension over religiously-inspired violence, this plain, brick mosque sites on a quiet side-street in Peckham. The crescent moon is the only outward sign of a place where worshippers come five times a day to pray to their deity and refresh themselves.

A Prayer and a Cross Southwark Cathedral, London, England Dozens of spiritual and religious traditions have attached meaning to tying ribbons or bracelets in sacred spaces. This bracelet was blowing in the breeze coming off the Thames in front of Southwark Cathedral. The contrast between the ancient wooden cross in the background and the bright new ribbon in the foreground encapsulates the melding of traditions in our globalized world.

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