Claire Wilkinson, a Art student at York St John University, unveiled her work of art at Nunthorpe Methodist Church in December 2006.

 

How did the "Profound Light" project begin?

The project began in response to a university assignment specification to create a piece of art to go in a public place. I have always thought that the Methodist Church was a beautiful building and in that way it was one of my inspirations.

 

Claire Wilkinson

 

The idea of using light as a theme developed because the window panels are particularly suited to it. I was also conscious that the work would end up being exhibited during Advent to Christmas and thought that it would therefore be appropriate to explore the theme of Christ as the Light of the World.

 

As the work developed it became more meaningful to me than just another university assignment and it has definitely become a personal testimony of faith. While I was creating the digital photograph display for the launch event at the beginning of December, the biblical texts and other quotations took on new meanings for me as I matched them up with the photographs I had taken using strong floodlights and projected images.

 

People who attended the event were encouraged to explore what was to many of them a very familiar building in an unorthodox way, lying down on the floor and looking at the view from under the pews for example, or focusing their eyes on the ceiling, the reflection in a window or the shadows cast by the cross above the altar.

My own eyes had been opened to a different way of looking at things and I wanted to share my perspective with others.

 

What are you wanting to achieve with your project?

 

My original intention was to explore different facets of Christ as light familiar and friendly as a candle on a birthday cake, probing and penetrating as a strong torch beam which searches into people’s hearts and provides the answers to questions and the solutions to problems, awesome and surprising as a firework display that grabs your attention and fills you full of wonder and glaring and dazzling as a floodlight which obscures the truth, is clothed in mystery and which puzzles and overwhelms us.

 

During and after the launch event many people told me how much the photographs and quotations had moved them and challenged them, inspired them and made them think.

 

Profound Light

 

I wanted the final piece to take this a step further. The message is that the light must go out from the church into the world. My painting therefore is based on a digital image of light shining out of the church window.

 

The location of the painting on the back wall of the church is significant in itself. People will not see it as they enter the church, nor during the services, but they will always see it as they exit and hopefully will be a constant reminder of the mission of the people of the church to reflect Christ’s light and be a light for the world themselves.

 

 

I have attended Nunthorpe Methodist since I was a baby. It is the church where I was baptized, where I have grown up, where my faith has been nurtured. I knew straight away that I wanted to give something back.

 

It did not stop me being nervous about asking the stewards for permission to proceed however, but I have to say that everyone has been incredibly supportive and encouraging. Familiarity with the venue and its users has made it in some ways more demanding as I didn’t want to let them down but it has also been very satisfying.

 

What does the future hold?

 

For my university course I undertake a number of assignments at once and at the moment I'm working with images of pylons and local industry but none of my other projects have developed in the same way Profound Light has.

 

By summer I will be exhibiting the best of my final year work at York St John University in a graduate exhibition.

 

I have recently accepted a place at Durham SCITT for a PGCE in Applied Art and Design and ultimately I hope to be a teacher.