|
|
Dec. 23, 2011
More similar than different
New Museum of Civilization exhibition explores religion.
KAREN GINSBERG
From December 2011 to September 2012, the Canadian Museum of Civilization (CMC), in Gatineau, Que., is showcasing an exhibit entitled God(s): A User’s Guide. As the title suggests, this is an exhibit anyone interested in understanding world relations will fully appreciate.
One barely has to approach the entrance to the exhibit to get the idea behind it and a sense of its contemplative tone. First to greet viewers are two large, black-and-white holographic panels on the walls. The first shows a devout Asian man and the second a middle-aged Muslim woman. By the time one walks past the panels, by the magic of holography, the Asian man has become an Orthodox Jew and the Muslim woman has changed into a distinctly Eastern Orthodox-looking woman. The point is immediately made that human beings are more alike than we are different.
Adapted to reflect a uniquely Canadian perspective, God(s) is the first joint project between the Musée de la civilization de Québec (MCQ) and CMC. Developed at the Museum of Europe and Tempora SA (Brussels), it made its Canadian debut at MCQ in Quebec City last year. An overarching theme and the foundation upon which the exhibit is based is clearly set out in the early part of the display: globalization and urbanization have led to the reality that different religions now exist alongside one another in many parts of the world. Our cities have become melting pots, and migration, globalization and communications innovations may well make religion (and religious harmony) one of the key issues of the near future.
With that fundamental principle in mind, God(s) goes on to explore, compare and contrast the many ways that people express themselves in their daily living through religion. The exhibition offers what it calls “experiential insights – through a combination of 225 exquisite and evocative sacred objects and other artifacts, sounds, multimedia, lighting and interactive elements – into the practices and beliefs of the world’s major religions.” It explores 11 diverse themes common to world religions, including passages, worship, places, body and cycles, among others. For instance, with exquisite artifacts from the Islamic, Hindi, Buddhist, Christian, Jewish and other faiths, it shows that, in all of these religions, light is synonymous with life, truth, wisdom and it is believed to be earthly evidence of a divine presence.
A significant portion of God(s) is devoted to showing how each of the world’s religions has its own divinity(ies). To represent divinity in Judaism, for example, there is a beautiful print with the word Adonai, one of the many names of God, at its core, with rays emanating from the lettering, a symbol of divine knowledge. This print was hung on the eastern wall of a synagogue to indicate the direction of Jerusalem and the direction congregants should face during prayer.
Like in Judaism, God in Islam must not be represented in human form, therefore, much of Islamic art is done in calligraphy and expresses one or more of the 99 names for God, and some of this calligraphy is on display here as well.
From aboriginal traditions, there are several depictions of the Creator – a serigraph in which the Raven is holding the sun. Another, by B.C. artist Roy Vickers, which shows the head of Jesus in the distinctive graphic style of the Tsimchian West Coast First Nation, examines the blending of Christian and traditional beliefs and symbols. From Mali, in West Africa, visitors can view a headdress cum mask, an expression of the belief that the spirits rest somewhere between humans and the divine.
In Hinduism, each divinity is paired with an animal “mount,” which serves as a sort of personal vehicle; for example, in God(s), visitors will see Vishnu, known as the preserver, astride a china eagle.
Adherents of Shintoism believe in the invocation of spirits and the display of reverence for nature and, in Taoism, it is believed that there are eight immortals, each of which guards the eight directions and has magical attributes which, among other things, will protect believers from evil, bring luck and help believers conceive children.
Key religious symbols are displayed in another part of the exhibit. From Judaism, there is a beautifully detailed aron kodesh (holy ark) made by a Montreal carver in 1923 for the Sons of Israel congregation in Glace Bay, N.S. By the early 1920s, approximately 100 Jewish families lived in this community; today, it numbers fewer than 30 individuals. The lions on the curtain symbolize the Tribe of Judah and the Star of David is recognized all over the world as the symbol of Judaism.
In this section, visitors also find Buddhist prayer wheels, Tibetan bells and, interestingly, there is a hamsa, an Arabic amulet associated with the protection for women from the evil eye or bad luck. Middle Eastern Jews also adopted the hamsa amulet, known as the Hand of Fatima by Muslims, the Hand of Miriam by Jews and as the Hand of Maria by Christians.
Yet another way in which religions are compared is by how many express something sacred through the body: baptism, walking on fire, other purification rituals (such as the mikvah), the sweat lodge, voodoo, lying on a bed of nails, beards and abstinence from sex.
One of the simplest and most meaningful explorations in the exhibit is around the role of music in religious life. While sitting in a quiet listening area, visitors can hear mantras, Gregorian chants, Tibetan chants and bells, Islamic chants, a Jewish prayer, Christian gospel music and even traditional Hawaiian aboriginal music. All of these musical offerings remind visitors that there are many ways in which to honor and connect with the divine.
Perhaps one of the most interesting choices in this exhibit is the full-scale, wall-mounted exchange of letters, starting in 2005, between two Muslim sisters, both of whom live in Belgium but in different cities. The more modern sister lives in Brussels and, hijab-less, she is about to stand for election to the Muslim Executive Council. Her younger and more traditional sister lives in Antwerp and is preparing to take their mother to Mecca, so that both can make the hajj. Their correspondence spans about 18 months in advance of this trip, and visitors are privy to a loving exchange – each one imploring the other to see life and their faith from her perspective. The Brussels sister wishes them well, worries about her mother’s health and ability to make the trip but has no wish to relinquish her independence and her ability to interpret her faith in a more modern context. The Antwerp sister feels free to share the depth of meaning she finds in undertaking this religious obligation and ensuring that their mother can undertake it, as well. It is a familiar dialogue between siblings on two different paths.
Even as one concludes a walk-through of this fascinating exhibit, there is the commitment to more. Visitors are asked to provide their input, by computer kiosk, in responding to the question “What do you believe will happen after death?” You can hear and see the perspectives of those who have already visited and leave your own for someone else’s consideration. Beyond this, CMC is offering visitors an opportunity to participate in a series that will “explore and discuss the issues,” as well as a film series and tours of the exhibit guided by various clergy from Ottawa in the coming months. For more information, visit civilization.ca/gods.
Karen Ginsberg is a freelance writer living in Ottawa.
^TOP
|
|
