Via Crucis…
So last night was the opening reception of Via Crucis :: Immersion. If I had to describe it in one word, I would say comforting.
Now I realize comfort and Via Crucis/stations of the cross may sound opposite. How can something so violent provide comfort? But the truth is it was soothing. The music was amazing. It’s was a perfect soundtrack to meditate to, read to, sleep to, breath…you get the point.
The stations…wow. It was so cool to see them rise from piles of stuff everywhere to a maze of displays that drew you into a different world. In the 24 hours before the doors opened there was chaos everywhere. People were carrying in boxes of stuff, scrambling to find ladders and extension cords and then in a blink of a eye you are being transported into a story that is being told by various people using all your senses.
It was comforting on a personal level to see people interacting with and understanding what you have worked hard on. To see them make a connection with the space was an amazing reward. To watch the station grab them and draw them in was cool.
It was comforting because whenever your put yourself out there, it can be a lonely place. You wonder if this is the right concept…the right event…I am the right person. And then there is that moment when all that fades away and you know it was the right thing to do.
So yeah, defintely go check out Via Crucis…and if you already went – go again. I’ll bet you will get something different from it the second time around….or the third.
Erin says:
It was pretty fantastic. And I thought it was funny, how several of the preceding stations were about confession, and nice a summation ours was of that general theme, how well it fit into the big picture. Pretty incredible, I think. Right place, right time, right idea, right person.
Tonni says:
Katie and I are going tonight. I am really looking forward to seeing it!
Lu says:
Comforting is a good word. I am glad you found that. Hope all is well. I have moved to a new blog. Check the URL
CLH says:
I agree with you that the music was “comforting.” I actually thought the music was the best part. However, I did not find comfort in the stations. I found them to be preoccupied with the violence of the situation. It is a problem that is built into the stations themselves. However, when focused in a slightly different direction, one can see the hope beyond the violence. Also, I had hoped for some more bold strokes in the stations themselves. Finally, there was way too much text in the stations. I felt as though I was immersed in a book where my eyes and my reasoning brain were the primary modes of experience. I don’t call that immersion, I call that reading. Now, a little text here and there is o.k. and is important for instruction.
However, the text in many of the stations this year were the primary mode of interaction for the participant. Reading and writing. This reflects the insecurity of the people designing the stations. When one is uncomfortable with experiencing something themselves, it comes through. Also, the lack of trust in the work that images, sound, smell, and touch does in creating experience leads one to rely more heavily on the weaker of our abilities, that is to read and “get it” without having to do the hard work of experiencing mystery and sitting with mystery without explanation.
Sorry if this harms anyones ego but I feel it needed to be said. I do think this is a nobel endeavor and I do think it is important work for the community. I do however think there needs to be more organization and cohesion in the whole experience.
ak says:
CLH – not sure who you are, but I’d love to hear more of your thoughts. Please email me at – aaronk@gmail.com – I’m one of the creators behind the whole of Via Crucis :: Immersion and I need to hear thoughts and perspectives such as yours. It sounds like, in your comments, that you were at the event in years past so I would appreciate hearing how you felt the experience was similar/different.
Cindy – If you find out who CLH is (or have an email) please pass my comments and email on to them.