temporary altars
Sacred Spaces in Public Places
The need for sacred spaces is fundamental to human existence. Throughout history, people have created meditative spaces in response to the cosmos and nature’s grandeur. Consider ancient structures like Stonehenge, which is perfectly situated to maximize our experience of the sun, moon, and stars. As civilizations grew, human reverence for nature’s power and cycles were translated into monumental religious edifices with upswept architecture, sky-bound spires, high interior ceilings, and stained-glass windows. These elements encourage people to look up toward the heavens where the beauty of color and light might evoke the presence of a higher power.
Teresa Camozzi’s Temporary Altars are inspired by her desire to create situations in public places that offer the potential for moments of reflection and contemplation.
Often installed in spaces of transit--airports, office buildings, and museums--some comprise striking large-scale photographs of translucent objects, and are printed on paper, Plexiglas, aluminum, and duratrans for lightboxes. This augments their internal luminosity, and their saturated color simulates the experience of stained glass.
Other works from the Temporary Altars series include images honoring the aftermath of the 2017 Sonoma Fire. Digitally printed on chiffon, these suspended images rotate in space, suggesting Tibetan prayer flags. Their movement and poignant imagery also emulate the experience one might more readily anticipate in a cathedral or monumental outdoor space.
Inspired by her personal search for “the spiritual in the midst of a turbulent global environment,” Camozzi’s intention with these altars is for them to serve as portable references for meditation.
The artist’s focus on the portability of the viewer’s experience is essential to their meaning. Inside France’s Chauvet Cave are enigmatic displays like a bear cranium placed on an altar-like pedestal suggesting an age-old desire to create altars for the personal experience offered by reflective objects and spaces. Camozzi’s Temporary Altars also carry forward Kandinsky’s momentous idea that Every work of art is the child of its time…the work is an inner feeling expressed by nature’s forms.*
*Wassily Kandinsky, Concerning the Spiritual in Art. London: Constable; 1914. pp. 1, 2
Written by: Terri Cohn
Experienced Curator with a demonstrated history of working in the fine art industry. Skilled in Art Education, Event Management, Journalism, Visual Arts, and Art History. Strong arts and design professional with a Bachelor of Arts - BA focused in art history from University of California, Berkeley and a Master of Arts - MA in art history from George Washington University, Washington, DC.
