Vieren "Met de dood in de ogen". Een vooronderzoek over het gebruik van moderne beeldende kunst in de eredienst

Abstract

Celebrating "With death in the eyes". Observations on the use of modern visual works of art in the church service. According to Grethleins Abriss der Liturgik, church service should be an open for all people, critical and constructive towards all elements of life, with the possibility of using all senses and all sorts of reactions, ritualised communication between God and the community of people, using the medium of the Bible. Overlooking this description, there could be at least three dimensions to modern visual art which could be helpfull for the service. First, visual art appeals to other senses than words. In this way, it can also say things which otherwise could not be said. Art can also help people understand their own lives better. In this way it can be of great use to the service. But art also tries to grasp what is living in a certain society, and as such, it helps the service to have a sound relationship with the world surrounding it. To see if my presumptions are correct, I observed two services in a church in Leeuwarden, in which was an exhibition of art, with the theme "with death in the eyes", about death, dying and transitoriness. But also I wanted to see if the works of art were used correctly. ...