Thursday, July 03, 2008

"Jesus Walks" for World Youth Day 2008


In case you have been living under a rock, the oddly named 'World Youth Day' is about to kick off in Sydney with Pope Benedict expected to 'walk on water' on Sydney Harbour on about Thursday 17th July, Stations of the Cross in the CBD on Friday, Festival day saturday and the Papal Mass at Randwick on Sunday!

There has been heapos of bad press here along the lines of what the government is investing and what inconvenience it will all be... I suspect like the Olympics until the vision of lots of exuberant smiling multi-cultural youth are available for photo op's and afterwards we'll retrun to stories about the 'real costs' and undelivered benefits!!

The program and plans sound brilliant and we have tried to be helpful by finding accomodation and meals for 'pilgrims' cash strapped once they get here...

In the meantime, no doubt inspired by the Nordic fibreglass cows... there will be a "Jesus Walks" art project involving about [33] figurines that will hit the street during the festivities!!


"JESUSWALKS is being staged to coincide with World Youth Day and will see the fibreglass sculptures, each measuring just over 170cm, displayed at key points across Sydney, including Bondi Beach, Cockle Bay, The Domain and North Sydney.

The artistic designs have been created by more than 40 Australian artists who hail from a range of backgrounds - including "Catholics and non-Catholics and Christians and non-Christians of a variety of inclinations".
Some, like Teho Ropeyarn, have drawn on history as the inspiration for their creations, decorating Jesus' traditional robes with colourful designs from the Torres Strait Island culture.
Others have used a range of techniques, including print-making, graffiti and digital media, to translate their ideas on to the body of the Catholic saviour, who is depicted clothed, with arms outstretched.
Director and curator Helena McCarthy said the exhibition aimed to "demonstrate the connections between young people as pilgrims, young people as artists and young people in need".
The exhibition will be open for the duration of World Youth Day, which takes place in Sydney from July 15-20, and at the conclusion the pieces will be auctioned off, with 100 per cent of the proceeds being donated to Father Chris Riley's Youth Off The Streets program.
Ms McCarthy said the works attempted to "engage with the idea of faith in the contemporary cultural context".
"I thought it would be a great opportunity for young and emerging artists to have an audience of over 300,000 young people," she said.
"Each artist submitted a proposal outlining their ideas - however abstract - and how they would express them on a fixed, three-dimensional form. The rationale of the of the exhibition is very simple - young talent, young audience, with the proceeds going towards a youth-specific charity." [news limited]

Stay tuned...

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