Invitation Sculpture

Third location confirmed!

admin — Tue, 12 May 2009 07:21:31 +0000

The city authorities in Geneva have confirmed that the sculpture can be exhibited in the Parc des Bastions in July, and the Reformed parish of Plan-les-Ouates, just south of Geneva, have agreed to host the exhibition from mid-September onwards.

All three locations can be seen on the following map.

View Invitation (Decalogue) sculpture locations in a larger map

Two sites for the sculpture

admin — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 09:58:48 +0000

The Parc des Bastions lies between the University of Geneva and the famous Reformers’ Wall. Among the towering trees is a clearing where the Invitation (Decalogue) sculpture will be from July 1st-26th, pending final approval from the city authorities. In August until mid September the sculpture will be exhibited in front of the Ecumenical Centre, the headquarters of the World Council of Churches. This is close to the international organisations ILO and WHO, and en route to Geneva’s airport.

What invitation?

admin — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 08:06:00 +0000

What is the invitation that the sculpture refers to? The following four metaphors, relating to different physical aspects of the sculpture, cast light on this question. Hands: an invitation to relationship The inside faces of the 10 pillars resemble human fingers; one can imagine a giant pair of hands emerging from the ground. The pillars also represent the Ten Commandments, which in their written form often seem rigid, formal and impersonal. Yet the sculptor depicts these laws as fingers – warm, open and inviting. A closer look at the Old Testament text shows that the Decalogue begins with the statement that God delivered the Israelites from oppressive slavery and brought them into liberty, because of his compassion and love for them. The divine invitation stills stands – to discover God’s nature and character through the laws he has made, and to realise that law and grace flow together from the heart of God. Circle: an invitation to freedom The pillars of the sculpture form a circle, suggesting that law acts as a boundary marker, defining the point beyond which attitudes or actions become harmful and destructive. Inside the circle there is freedom. The Decalogue is an invitation to live in a space of liberty and flourishing, which touches all areas of life – spiritual, social, economic and cultural. The metaphor of a circle contrasts with postmodern thinking, by suggesting that law is not the contradiction of freedom, but is actually the condition of freedom. Double-sided pillars: an invitation to ethical reflection The sculpture reflects the principle of dual consequences, the outcomes of living on either the right side or the wrong side of God’s law. If a person or a society lives by this law, it will generally go well with them, especially over the long term. This is expressed by the warm, positive shape of the inside of the pillars. But if a community persists in disregarding the law, there is a sharp warning that things will turn out badly in the end – the other side of the columns are like raised swords. When such things happen it is not so much an act of arbitrary judgment as the inevitable consequence of violating the law by which the universe is held together. Massive columns: an invitation to build The sheer size and weight of these pillars suggest that the Decalogue is greater than a mere legal code for a small country way back in history. There is something universal about it, as it offers a guide for developing communities and society in any nation or generation. When faced with the collapse of an institution – a failed state, a broken marriage, a banking system close to meltdown – the Decalogue invites us to evaluate our theories, policies and actions from its ethical framework, and offers a stronger foundation for rebuilding institutions and society, one that has stood the test of time and the evolution of civilisations.

The Decalogue and Hope in a global recession

admin — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 10:35:21 +0000

Hope is in short supply. As 2009 dawns on a bleak and unpredictable economic climate, the feeling of being in uncharted and dangerous waters is felt not only by politicians, bankers, and business leaders, but by everyone. How did it all go so wrong, and how can we avoid this happening again? Immense pressure is falling on political leaders to come up with solutions fast, to fix the problem so we can all get back to “normal” life, or at least more predictable. But so far, yanking all the economic levers, dials and switches available to governments has done little to fix the machine. Increasingly, people are realising that our problems are fundamentally ethical, to do with values and the way people think and act. Greed, irresponsibility, and lack of trust have largely brought about the sustained unravelling of the financial system. “…we don’t just need a financial bailout; we need an ethical bailout,” wrote columnist Thomas Friedman (International Herald Tribune, 17th December). Tony Blair makes a similar point in the same newspaper: “…confidence and the stability that flows from it cannot be restored by technical, regulatory means alone, but by a restoration of values.” Where do we turn to for such a renewal of values? It has always been the role of religion to provide the ethical and moral basis for human existence, and the three major monotheistic faiths – Judaism, Christianity and Islam – all look up to the Decalogue as a foundation for individual and social ethics. This ancient code for human flourishing has been a bedrock for the development of societies for 4,000 years. It places compassion, respect for others and human rights at the core of healthy communities, and emphasises that quality of life depends more on good relationships than on material wealth. This provides a glimmer of hope for people who are finding themselves a lot poorer at the start of 2009 than a year ago. Another source of hope is the fact that the Decalogue was not developed by a mature and prosperous society, but was given instead to a vast and impoverished throng of refugees, with no social, economic, legal or religious institutions at all. They were among the poorest of the poor, having been an immigrant slave population for centuries. Yet by adopting this ethical and religious framework, their society gradually developed and became the most prosperous and peaceful civilisation in the region within a few generations. The sculpture entitled “The Invitation (Decalogue)” expresses the monumental role the Decalogue has played in human history. It explores the importance of a common set of values in creating a space in which responsibility, compassion and freedom can thrive, and also illustrates powerfully how the rule of law provides both freedom and a deterrent, both of which are necessary for a flourishing society. So perhaps a more promising source of hope for 2009 lies not in the hands of politicians and presidents, but in an ancient guide for ethical, spiritual and social development.