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AIDS
Icon
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An AIDS icon by internationally renowned calligrapher
Ewan Clayton was dedicated during the World AIDS Day service
in Durham Cathedral. Bishop John spoke of the privilege
he felt at being able to perform the dedication. His prayer
was for the icon to become a focus for prayer as we seek
to break the stigma and discrimination against those affected
by HIV/AIDS.
The Revd Robert Cooper of the Chaplaincy to the Arts and
Recreation, which was responsible for the commission,
said, "To lots of people calligraphy conjures up
ideas of recreating mediaeval manuscripts and seems to
have nothing to do with the computer age, but in the right
hands, it can engage powerfully and directly with today’s
issues. Ewan Clayton has been involved as a calligrapher
with several AIDS and HIV care centres, as well as a community
project in Brighton that created an innovative AIDS memorial
book. This gave the Chaplaincy the chance to commission
a calligraphic work that engages in exactly this way with
today’s world. The icon will be available to parishes,
schools and other groups who would like to borrow it,
so we hope it will become a focus for reflection and prayer
around HIV and AIDS throughout the Diocese and the region."
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Ewan
with icon
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Lettering
detail
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During
the service Ewan spoke about the creative process behind
the icon: "My idea was to produce an object that was
sculptural in form," he explained. "It is double-sided,
so that people will be able to gather round it, perhaps
walk round it, but it can just be looked at from one side.
It’s a fair size but, at the same time, it’s intimate
- a kind of portable shrine that could be carried in procession.
The overall aesthetic of the icon is one that values natural
materials, revealed for what they are - the unvarnished
truth.
"The letters which delineate the figure of Christ and
the words of the prayer in the side panels are deliberately
difficult to read. The idea is that the thoughts behind
the work will gradually reveal themselves to those who are
willing to open their eyes and their minds.
"If the front is about crucifixion, sacrifice, prophecy,
bearing burdens, standing up and being counted, the reverse
side is about resurrection and renewal. It is much simpler
and creates a gentle, contemplative space. When these doors
are open they reveal a series of pockets in which names,
prayers and objects can be placed temporarily or permanently."
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Robert
Cooper added, "Those at the service were moved as the
padlock on the front doors of the icon was unlocked to reveal
the words and imagery inside for the first time. The fact
that these doors are padlocked challenges those who use
the icon to reflect on what exactly may have the power to
unlock the stigma and isolation of AIDS. For me, though,
the most moving moment came after the service was over.
I had walked to the back of the now empty cathedral and
was amazed when I turned round to see how all the lines
of this vast building seemed to have been designed to draw
the eye to the tiny and vulnerable figure in the central
panel of the icon."
Parishes,
schools or groups interested in using the icon as a focus
for reflection and prayer or simply for display should contact
robert@cooperphoto.co.uk
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