Spatial

Mike Davison Creature Post Angus Muir Design 9 Peter Hobbs The Church of the Crooked Cross

2021 Exhibition & Temporary Structures
Credits
  • Pou Auaha / Creative Directors
    Mike Davison, Lakshman Anandanayagam
  • Ringatoi Matua / Design Directors
    Mike Davison, Lakshman Anandanayagam
  • Ngā Kaimahi / Team Members
    Kim Baldwinson, Angus Muir, Peter Hobbs, Patrick Killeen, Jarrod Barrow, Allie Brown (Choir), Annalise Ocken (Choir), Tjalling Overdijk (Choir), Lizzie Dyg (Choir)
  • Kaitautoko / Contributors
    Simon Holden, Tim Buckley, Dan Move, Luke Baldock, Duncan Forsyth
  • Client
    LUMA
Judge's comments:

It was smart and playful, and with a slight bit of humour it was the perfect example of tackling relevant topics in today's climate, compelling and equally engaging.

Description:

The Church of the Crooked Cross.
LUMA Queenstown 2021

What do we really worship?

In this age of individuality and transparency, shouldn’t we all be able to have our own personal spirituality? One without judgement, one with a sense of reality and a touch of humour?

Worldwide, church attendances are in decline. And organised religion can leave many of us with a sense of guilt and failure - not measuring up to the masses. Yet we all still yearn for spiritual direction.

The Church of the Crooked Cross is described as a set of 6 stained glass windows and a large, suspended neon crooked cross in an otherwise invisible church. Set amongst the trees in the Queenstown Botanical gardens, these modern gods pay homage to some of our most common obsessions – social media, alcohol, pornography, money, drugs and shopping.

Accompanying the windows a live choir performed The Rolling Stones’ ‘can’t always get what you want’ and the chorus of Rage Against the Machines ‘killing in the name of’ in traditional 4 part harmony choral a cappella. Modular synth artist Peter Hobbs performed a specially com-posed piece in alternation with the choir.

Approximately 60,000 people attended.
Salvation and lols occurred.