Liminal State Panels

The four walls of the Chapel are meant to be seen as one complete work. Each wall has its own meaning but the full impact is felt by contrasting each panel to the one hanging opposite. The juxstaposition of opposing themes in first experienced as a draw to the large wall of energetic beings, who are bathed in soft light and playing in water. Turning around, we find ourselves uncomfortably disturbed by the oversized figures who gaze out from behind prison bars. The androgynous single figure appears ecstatic to some viewers while others see pain. There is no doubt that being released means leaving everything behind. If we believe that we are defined solely by our physical body, then the three figures depicting old age, sickness and death can be felt as morose.

The panels are not meant to picture one point in time or space but rather point to the process of maturation thru which our individual and collective selves journey. That is the meaning of “liminal state”. We know our present experience and personal interpretation of life is not complete or final. The Chapel reminds us that much remains to be discovered and that our suffering and liberation are two sides of the same coin.

Looking at all four images simultaneously is physically impossible but not if the viewer uses their inner eye. The chapel series asks you to hold the image of one wall in your mind while you move on physically to the next. the two “dark” walls show our frailty and how we seem trapped in unhappiness created by our bodies and minds. The peace and happiness of the lighter walls shows our release from these conditions. There is a certain kind of camaraderie knowing that every human being, at one time or another, inhabits each of the four walls.