During a walk out to take photos, I went by an old church I’ve passed more times than I can count. The glass in the windows is the old original glass, comprised of many small pieces arranged in linear patterns. It was made the way stained glass windows are, minus the colour, using only clear glass instead.
WINDOW MURAL II
The church is situated on one corner of a major city intersection. Directly across from it, is what used be a very large hotel. Several years back, the hotel was purchased as a student residence for a university here. At some point when renovations were finished, a gigantic mural was created on the side of the building facing the church.
WINDOW MURAL III
As I slowly walked by, I noticed that the mural was reflected in the windows of the church. There were washes of colour mixed with the linear patterning of the glass work. The windows captured different viewpoints of the mural, each creating its own individual reflection of the larger whole.
WINDOW MURAL IV
If the mural was not located opposite the church, the windows would be without colour. Instead they would appear to be black, since the interior of the building is dark. I don’t ever recall seeing it lit from within often, if at all.
WINDOW MURAL V
The abstraction that occurs with the reflected colours caught my eye because it’s an unusual reflection due to the way the windows were created. I also find the contrast reflected between old and new to be a reflection of current times.
WINDOW MURAL VI
The mural is several stories high; I counted twenty-three stories. It’s much taller than the church across the street from it and completely dominates the intersection. On first sight it’s an eye blast of rainbow colours. After the initial shock of colour, the tonal elements emerge.
I’ve looked at this mural many times since it’s gone up; it’s impossible to avoid unless blind. I’ve never been sure whether I like this creation or not, so I’m undecided still. I have noticed it has a great deal of very strange symbolism included in its design. I’m not sure how that correlates to a university residence. I think it depends on a person’s perspective. I’ve found a different way to view this mural, from the reflections in windows. I find it more appealing than the mural itself.
MURAL SECTION
All photos taken by Nine with a Pentax digital 35mm camera.
