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Religion and spirituality explored through art

12 October 2005

An exhibition of photographic works that explore religion and spirituality starts tomorrow at the Art and Design Faculty Gallery at Monash's Caulfield campus.

Places of Worship is the first exhibition by artist and academic Claudia Terstappen (pictured), who began at the faculty in 2004 as Professor of Fine Arts.

Professor Terstappen's major focus is on the relationship between religion, superstition and science.

The exhibition features 13 large-scale photographic prints by Professor Terstappen that explore ideas of cultural memory and the spirituality of object and place.

The prints, including several landscape photographs, depict natural altars and man-made altars in Europe, Iceland, Australia (Northern Territory and Queensland), North and South America, and Asia.

Also on show are five light boxes documenting places of worship, an installation of car rear-view mirrors featuring contemporary adornments dangling from the mirrors, and spiritual and religious artifacts from the artist's own collection.

Professor Terstappen began her investigation into 'places of worship' about 15 years ago, inspired by her travels to Brazil and the US where she came across Macumba rituals and the Sacred Land of the Navajo Indians.

In 1996 she undertook an art residency in the Dordogne in France, and over a period of three months interviewed people about their beliefs and superstitions, and took photographs of places and objects of worship people had told her about.

This experience, together with her time in Spain as director of the MA European Fine Art program at Southampton University (Winchester School of Art) in Barcelona, sharpened her focus on individual religious beliefs, festivals and rituals of different cultures.

Claudia Terstappen, 'Cruz del Romero, Spain' 1994, photographic print, 300cm x 300cm.

"Practising a religion brings stability into the life of humans and explains the world beyond the rational," Professor Terstappen said. "Believing in a higher entity takes the terror out of the unknown. Religion gives out answers to questions that nobody can address.

"Objects and images become interesting -- they attract passion, become objects of a universal agreement, are a symbol of truth and power, and have a unique capacity to make real what they depict. It is also interesting that the use of an object or image can be seen as the key to historical and cultural circumstances."

Places of Worship runs until 23 November. Gallery hours are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, and 1pm to 5pm on Saturdays.

Claudia Terstappen's film 10 seconds a day (duration 30 minutes) will be screened on Wednesdays at 10am during the exhibition period at the Art and Design lecture theatre opposite the Faculty Gallery.

An artist talk will take place on Wednesday, 19 October from 10am to 11am, at lecture theatre G1.04, Art and Design building at Caulfield campus. The session will include screenings of film works not in the exhibition.