The Phenomenology of Spirituality in Art

Long research paper:

The Phenomenon of Spirituality in Art

Visual Art Theory

Karen Celeste Tearnan

TAA41-10 1

Student No: 201331107

University of Johannesburg

Faculty of Art, Design, and Architecture

Visual Art Department

Karen Von Veh

16 October 2014

Table of Contents

page

List of figures i

Introduction 1

Chapter 1: Phenomenology, consciousness, and art 3

Chapter 2: The universal nature of spirituality and transcendence 7

Chapter 3: The experiential act of painting and spirituality 14

Conclusion 21

List of images 22

Sources Consulted 30

i

List of Figures

page

Figure 1: Viola, B. (2) The reflecting pool (1977 – 1979) Video Installation 22

Size unknown. The Art institute of Chicago (Perov 2009)

Figure 2: Viola, B. The ascension of Tristan. 2005 Video Installation 22

Size unknown. The Stavenger Art Museum, Norway.

Figure 3: Tearnan, K In-between ( 2013) Full painting 23

Size: 8000mm x 1000mm Private collection of the artist

Figure 4: Tearnan, K In-between Sound No 1 (2013) , 23


Figure 5: Tearnan, K In-between Sound No 2 ( 2013) , 24




Figure 7: Tearnan, K In-between Sound No 4( 2013) 25


Figure 8: Tearnan, K In-between Sound No 5 ( 2013) 25


ii



Figure 10: Tearnan, K Spirit Symphony ( 2013) , Full painting 26


Figure 11: Tearnan, K Spirit Symphony No 1 ( 2013) , 27








iii

Introduction

This paper is an investigation into the study of spirituality in art as a universal human

experience from the perspective of phenomenology. This research paper, will

explore through careful consideration of themes, evident in a critical analysis of

varied artworks how the philosophy of phenomenology, both in the making and

viewing of artworks is evident (Giorgi 2005:76). This paper will also explain why the

approach of phenomenology as a foundational aspect of primary philosophy as

understood through the creating and viewing of art, resulting in artworks being

experienced, as opposed to artworks simply understood through cerebral discourse

and analysis.

The understanding of phenomenology as understood by the author, from the

authors perspective is as follows; as an individual born into the last century,

born into a specific time and place, is that I experience art and spirituality through my

own subjectivity to time, place, nature, and nurture. This subjectivity of experience in

the first person embodies the philosophy of phenomenology and is easily defined as

the study of human consciousness and self-awareness.The founder of

phenomenology, Edmond Husserl (Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy 2012:[sp]),

concludes that it is the study of structures of consciousness as experienced from the

first person point of view, together with the appropriate enabling conditions. Simply

put, it is the understanding of ones` consciousness as experienced from the unique

perspective of an individual through their worldview. An individual’s worldview is

formed by a unique set of circumstances, created through nature, which is genetics

and nurture, such as a set of cultural belief systems. The Stanford Encyclopaedia of

Philosophy also states that phenomenology itself is able to acquire knowledge about

the nature of consciousness, through first-person knowledge, through a form of

intuition (2012:[sp]).

This paper will be divided into three chapters. In the first chapter I will explore

spirituality in art and the understanding of the nature of consciousness as described

within phenomenology which creates a platform to argue that spirituality is a lived

experienced rather than an observation. This will be explained chiefly through the

practise of Trans Dance, as practiced by the San tribe in Africa.

In Chapter Two, I will investigate both the artworks and the approach of the

artist, Bill Viola. This chapter will investigate and discuss how Viola both acquires

and produces his images and will also demonstrate how the works of Viola are

experienced by the viewer, from the first person’s point of view, thereby revealing a

phenomenological approach.

In Chapter Three, I analyse my own BTech practical artworks in relation to the

philosophy of Phenomenology as an approach to the expression of spirituality in the

creating and viewing of artworks. Various supporting theories regarding this, from an

aspect of sound and creativity, will be discussed and will be introduced to support

and define the works I have created.

Through the discourse and analysis of this paper, it will be clear that the philosophy

of phenomenology supports the notion that spirituality in art is of a universal

experiential nature, both in the approach of creating artworks and the viewing of

artworks.

Chapter One

Phenomenology, consciousness, and art

You have to get the conscious mind out of the way. All of the

work I do originates from the unconscious self. You start from an

incomplete state without a precise idea of where you’re going to

end. This requires creativity, risk, and faith. Not knowing where

you’re going to end and not knowing the answer, is life giving

(Guzzman 2009:[sp]).

Phenomenology as a discipline has been central to the tradition of philosophy

throughout the twentieth and twenty first centuries. Various slants on phenomenology

have been brought forward by different philosophers (2012:[sp]), such as Martin

Heidegger1,and Maurice Merleau-Ponty2, however Edmond Husserl is known as the

founder of phenomenology.

In this chapter I will discuss what phenomenology is, how it is related to

consciousness, and its relationship with spirituality in art. It has already been

said in the introduction that phenomenology is the study of structures of

consciousness as experienced from the first-person point of view and it is further

defined in the Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy (2012:[sp]) as being the central

structure of an experience is its intentionality; it’s being directed toward something,

as it is an experience of or about some object. An experience is directed toward an

object by virtue of its content or meaning.

In other words, phenomenology studies ones consciousness towards various

types of experiences, and attempts to approach things empirically, as they really are,

1Martin Heidegger, was a German philosopher, born in 1889, and died in 1976. widely seen as a

seminal thinker in the Continental tradition, particularly within the fields of existential phenomenology and philosophical hermeneutics (2012:[sp]). 2 Maurice Merleau-Ponty was a French phenomenological philosopher born in 1905 and died in 1980,

strongly influenced by Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger. The constitution of meaning in human experience was his main interest and he wrote on perception, art and politics (2012:[sp]).

to meet them without preconceptions. This experienced outcome is unique to each

individual (2012:[sp]). These experiences range from thought, perception, memory,

emotion, imagination, sensory experiences, social, spiritual, linguistic, kinaesthetic,

auditory, and visual.

The reference to structure is what Husserl (2012:[sp]) refers to as “intentionality”,

which refers to the directedness of experience toward things in the world.

Consciousness refers to being conscious of or about something. The content of a

given experience is made up of, one’s own consciousness or awareness, ones

intentions toward the experience combined with enabling conditions, which refers to

conditions of possibility such as cultural context, motor skills, language, auditory and

other social practices. Janet Waters (Waters [sa]) in her research journal that

discusses research through the approach of phenomenology, says that strong

characteristic of phenomenology is that it is a lived experience, from the first

person’s point of view. An experience is made conscious through a certain

awareness one has of the experience while living through or performing it.

Phenomenology is explained in the following example and can be seen in the

experiences of tribal activity known as Trans dance of the San tribe in Africa. During

the Trans dance, the tribe gathers around a fire, dancers stomp, and woman clap

their hands and sing powerful songs. After hours of singing and dancing the shaman,

begins to enter a trance. In this state of trance the shaman travels to the spirit world.

The transition into a trance state is noticeable by physical changes in the shaman,

which include, bleeding from the nose, spasms in the stomach so they become

arched over, sweating and shaking (Bradshaw Foundation sa:3). As the shaman

enters the spirit world, he encounters a visual world of images.

The shamanistic state of consciousness, defines itself as a state of consciousness

distinct from the ordinary state of consciousness, it is a state where the shaman is

consciously aware, of the experience of being in a trance (Peters 1989:115).

It is also the first known spiritual practice leading to the immediate knowledge of the

sacred. The Trans dance is the place where the imagery is experienced. The San

did not invent images or draw images from their daily life, they were invested with

images. It is from this translated experience by the shaman to the artist of what was

viewed in trans dance that was then painted onto the walls of the cave (Lewis

Williams 1987:[sp]). The viewing of rock art over time in the shelters, by subsequent

tribes, provided insights that could become part of other shaman’s experiences when

they entered altered states. They become reservoirs that could be tapped for power

and insight. The San believed that if they placed their hands over these pieces of art

they would gain power from the images.

The understanding of the nature of consciousness as described within

phenomenology, and as observed in the example of the ritualistic practices of

Trans dance in the San tribe, demonstrates a platform to argue that spirituality is

experienced rather than observed. The creating of artworks, through the process

of image and mark making, engages the artist in spiritual practice as does the

experience of viewing the artwork. The artworks of The San tribe are not artworks of

the mind, but artworks related to spiritual experience. Robert Burch states that

“Phenomenology, does not garner new information, nor provide knowledge hitherto

simply non-existent, but appropriates and interprets a meaning already implicit to

lived experience as its truth” (Burch 1989:191-192). This implies that our subjectivity

to our own experience provides a foundation with which we interpret the world

around us.

There is a fundamental difference between artworks of the mind or conceptual

artwork and artworks created from experience. Artworks of the mind engage

both the artist and the viewer, in a process where the concept is the centre of

the work, and the execution is a secondary function (Lewitt 1969:[sp]). Thomas

Merton (Merton 1971:8), as influential American author and Trappist monk,

clearly summarises this in the statement below:

Nothing could be more alien to contemplation than the cogito ergo

sum of Descartes. “I think therefore I am”. This is the declaration of

an alienated being. In exile from his own spiritual depths, compelled

to seek some comfort in a proof for his own existence, based on the

observation that he “thinks”. If his thought is necessary as a medium

through which he arrives at the concept of his existence, then he is in

fact only moving farther from his being.

In the question of phenomenology, spirituality and religion I suggest that, spirituality

and religion both have phenomenological aspects, however religion is rooted in

cultural and social needs of society, it is observed as guidance for living, whereas

spirituality from a phenomenological aspect is experiential, and this practice can lead

to the direct knowledge of the sacred. (Mennekes 2012:[sp]) (Peters 1989:115).

Bill Viola, a leading contemporary film and video artist, whom has created extensive

art works which thematically are based on spirituality, in an interview with Friedhelm

Mennekess (Mennekes 2012:[sp]), describes spirituality, not religion as the following

“it begins as a tiny little spark in the human heart that we don't even know that we

have…. But it all starts for me within us in the deepest way, and that for me is the

original shine”. There is reference to spirituality as an experience, not a concept, and

it is from this individual experience from the first person point of view, that a unique

engagement with the spiritual is encountered. Religion as an observation is more

likely to result in a dogmatic cultural belief system. Viola describes one’s body as the

original shrine; again this indicates that this is an experience as understood from the

first person point of view. In chapter two, I will specifically discuss in more depth the

work of Viola from a perspective of phenomenology.

I would like to conclude this chapter, with the original quote that I began with, at the

outset of this paper “This for phenomenology insists that my consciousness – my

awareness of myself, others, objects, all the things that make up my world – is

rooted in my experience in the world, and this experience in turn is rooted in my body

(Wrathall 2011:5[sp]).

Chapter two

The universal nature of spirituality and transcendence

This chapter will further develop the understanding of spirituality in art from a

phenomenological aspect, through the investigation of works by Bill Viola. This

discourse and analysis will highlight the phenomenological experience of spirituality,

through the exploration of various themes, particularly those related to auditory and

visual sensory experience, culminating in the sublime.

Chris Townsend (Townsend 2004: 7, 8), reports that as many as forty thousand

individuals, attended Bill Viola`s exhibition entitled Five Angels for the Millennium, at

the Anthony d`Offay Gallery, in London, 2001.

I would attest that people were often sitting three or four deep in front

of some screens, and that many of them had appeared to have come

to spend a considerable amount of time in the exhibition. It is rare, at

least in the kind of museums and galleries that I visit, to witness

anyone weeping before a work of art. Yet at almost every Bill Viola

exhibition that I have visited I have seen either someone in tears or

profoundly moved.

Viola was born in 1951 in America, and is a leading contemporary video and film

artist. Through the medium of both single channel and more complex video

installations, Viola explores the human condition. Viola`s works, enquire into the

universal questions of life, death, and unfolding human consciousness, offering the

intended experience of transcendence, without offering transcendence itself

(Townsend 2004:11) His work embraces a plurality of spiritual expression and

explores the rich traditions of the Christian, Buddhist, and Islamic religions.

The nature of what is universal, as defined in the (Oxford English Dictionary [sa]),

means relating to or done by all people or things in the world. The experience of

Viola`s work, is not in the mind and the external world of the viewer, the experience

of Viola`s work is in the viewer’s personal emotions. I will investigate that, as will be

demonstrated throughout this chapter, that because the artworks are experienced in

an intimate and personal space within the viewer, the artworks will inherently be

phenomenological. Viola says that (Mennekes 2012:[sp]) the human heart is the

original shrine, the starting point for the origin of religion.

The universal nature of the human spirit pertaining to every human being, when

impacted through an auditory and visual sensory spiritual experience, the experience

is the platform for phenomenological enquiry. In the Stanford Encyclopaedia of

Philosophy (2012:[sp]), phenomenology as discussed from the perspective of

Merleau Ponty, informs us that the essence of subjectivity is bound up with one`s

body. That one`s subjectivity is inseparable from one`s body and from ones world.

This subjectivity holds that sensory experience, such as seeing a colour or feeling

pain, has phenomenal character in that it is experienced from the first person point of

view (2012:[sp]). The translation of an experience into art from a first person’s point

of view lends itself to authenticity.

The works of Viola are drawn from his own subjective life experiences. A well-known

life event of Viola is that when he was a young boy; he experienced a near drowning

incident while on holiday with his family. Viola (Guion 2008:94) describes the near

drowning incident and his response to it, “I saw the most beautiful world with these

plants moving very slowly, the blue light coming down. When you’re under the water,

it’s absolutely beautiful. When you’re underwater there’s no gravity, so you’re

floating. I wanted to stay there.” The theme of water is drawn from this subjective

experience, and becomes a reoccurring element in Viola`s work.

Viola’s involves his life experiences and layers them with an eclectic understanding

of spiritual teachings. It would seem that spirituality and video technology are in stark

contrast to each other; however, Viola has used technology in such a way that the

work reveals profound spiritual reflection. The following quote by the author Houston

Smith (Viola 2009), had a profound impact on Viola, “The two forces that have done

the most to shape who we are as human beings both inside and out, and throughout

history, are technology and revelation” Video is a means of producing art, that can

create things that are yet unseen, allowing the viewer to enter into psychological and

visual spaces that have yet to come into existence (Guion 2008:68), allowing

technology to become an integral role in contemporary art, through which spirituality

is experienced

In 1969 Viola enrolled at Syracuse University`s art school in New York. Here he

studied painting and electronic music. It was during this time that Viola was

introduced to video. The time between 1979 and 1972, when Viola graduated

afforded him time to explore experimental sound and video as artistic expression.

(Walsh 2003:[sp]). As well as massive developments in technology at this time, the

Vietnam generation of the 1960`s, were open to Eastern religion and alternative

teachings, and Viola immersed himself in these teachings as well as a variety of

eclectic philosophies, including phenomenology.

Violas phenomenological approach can be seen in early video works, where he

depicted himself as the main focal point of the video. These videos are created from

the first person point of view, inviting the viewer to partake of an inward journey that

required an open mind and patience. (Guion 2008:72) In The Reflecting Pool 1977 –

1979 (figure1) the viewer looks upon a scene in a forest, of which a pool of reflecting

water is central to the image. Viola uses the symbolism of the forest landscape as a

link between our outer and inner selves. (Viola 2013). The position of the camera

remains static, and the background sound is constant. As the narrative unfolds, a

man appears at the bottom of the pool, facing the viewer. He is fully clothed and

appears to be silently contemplating his reflection in the pool. Time is an important

element in Viola’s works, it is at this point in the video that time seems to slow down,

after a long time the man jumps; the camera catches him in mid-air, in a foetal

position, and at this juncture the frame freezes, and time is suspended.

Our expectation, as the viewer of the man’s immersion into water as he completes

the jump, has been interrupted, and it appears that time is standing still. Despite the

suspended figure encapsulated in its own time frame, the narrative continues to

unfold, with the pool becoming agitated, with a disrupted reflection of the landscape

and surrounds to stillness with a clear reflection (Art Institute Chicago 1983:[sp]).

The occurrence of suspended time, engages the viewer in contemplation and

reflection. Time is something that Viola likes to extend, slow down and repeat, he

defines it as ’sculpting time’ (Neumaier 2004:64). An aesthetic not unrelated to the

practice of meditation, which focuses on the present moment, zeroing on the subject

in order to perceive it more precisely.

Similarly focused time is needed by the viewer when viewing the works causing one

to commit to reflection and thus encouraging insights into the spiritual (Guion

2008:13). This is a distinctly phemenological aspect as experienced from the

viewer’s point of view. The artwork as an experience is in opposition to cerebral

discourse and analysis which would engage the viewer in debate, as opposed to

experience. In the reflecting pool, we are very aware of the surface of the pool and

the activity beneath the surface of the pool. The symbol of water is a well-known

symbol of the sub conscious mind, the body within the pool becomes the place for

transcendence. As cited by Morgan (Townsend 2004:94) “The descent into water is

the operation of mythic metamorphosis, the manner by which the body is turned into

a medium for spiritual experience”.

As the video continues, the man remains suspended in mid-air in a foetal position,

while, at the edge of the pool two figures appear only as a reflection in the water;

however there are no corresponding actual figures on the edge of the pool. These

images disappear; later a third solitary figure appears at the edge of the pool in what

is now twilight. Following this, the landscape is illuminated with sunlight, and the

image of the man suspended in mid-air disappears. However he reappears and

emerges from the depths of the pool, naked. He climbs out of the pool, and without

confronting the viewer returns into the forest.

Viola was influenced deeply by the Persian Sufi poet and mystic Dschalal ad-Din ar-

Rumi, who said that "the wound is the place where the light enters you” (A tribute

to Rumi 1999:[sp]) In an interview with Mennekes, (Mennekes 2012:[sp] ). Viola

expands on this saying that “there has to be a way where you open your heart, you

open your being to become vulnerable to the universe, to the natural and spiritual

orders. And that kind of wound is the deepest place where all of that kind of thinking

of transcendence and spirituality arises from.”

So we can see that it is at the moment of interruption in a normal flow of events, in

this case where the man, is held suspended in the air, this is the opening that affords

an opportunity for spiritual contemplation and transcendence.

Violas works explore the themes of spirituality through the narrative, the impact of

the works are intensified through the extensive use of scale in combination with

sound and image (Freeland 2004:42). In a video interview, called `The tone of

being`,(Viola 2013:[sp]) Viola shares a memory he had of his grandfather, who made

him aware of sound, of an experience of listening to everyday sounds and

recognising the consistency of sound that is around us all the time. Sound becomes

an accumulative auditory experience. Viola comes to describe sound as “it’s the

sound of everything that’s always moving in the background, it is the sound of the

world, an under sound that constantly exists”. The horizon of sound is silence, but at

the same time the absence of sound is never attained (Idhe 2007:222). Sound is an

important aspect in the meditational techniques of Buddhism, listening to sound

assists practitioners to ground their attention in the present (Amaro 2012:1).

From this we can observe that, sound and auditory perception, as seen in the afore

mentioned chapter, is part of experienced constants of consciousness. “In the self-

embodying impulse of the artist, we are given the opportunity to open our eyes and

unblock our ears” (Townsend 2004:195) Video, as a medium affords us an

experience of something that is beyond our limits, Morgan (cited in Townsend

2004:15) describes this as “the epic sandwiched between the ordinary”.

Strong characteristics of Viola`s work, evoking the sublime, are a synthesis of

monumental scale, dramatic tonal contrasts, sound and motion, inspiring a sense of

awe (Morgan 2004:94). In the philosophy of Immanuel Kant3 (1724-1804), the

sublime is explored in the examples of looking out over a vast sea or up the soaring

peak of a vast mountain. It is in the terror and awe of the vastness of the experience

that we cannot entirely grasp or comprehend with our rational minds, followed by the

ability of the mind to reason. The shift from terror to awe and delight is referred to as

sublime turning (Guion 2008:44). Kant’s view of the sublime shifts it into subjectivity,

where the sublime can be experienced from an exterior experience or an internal

shift from a personal experience. Helmimak, (cited in Guion 2008:7) states that

spirituality in relation to the sublime is defined as a “concern for transcendence: it is

3Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher born in 1724 and died in 1804. He is widely considered to

be a central figure of modern philosophy. He argued that fundamental concepts structure human experience, and that reason is the source of morality. Kant characterized states of perception, thought, and imagination, as a practice of phenomenology (2012:[sp]) .

the sense that something in life goes beyond the here and now and the commitment

to that something”

Consequently as revealed in the preceding chapter, we understand how the use of

scale and sound, related to auditory and visual sensory experience, culminate in the

sublime (Townsend 2004:9-10). Therefore, the works of Viola become a

phenomenological experience, infused with spirituality as he explores the human

condition. In the viewing of Viola`s work, what motivates empathy in the viewer, is

mutual experience.

In The Ascension of Tristan 2005, (figure 2), Viola has used a large vertical format as

the visual plane, as if reaching between heaven and earth. The use of consistent

sound and the strong contrasts light in the imagery, evoke a sense of awe as we

experience, this piece which describes the ascent of the soul, directly after death,

where the soul is awakened (Art Gallery NSW 2008:[sp]) Love/death: The Tristan

Project (figure 2) consists of ten works, and is an exhibition on a large scale

showcasing a variety of varied installations from room sized video projections to

small silent flat screen panels. Viola produced these pieces for Wagner’s nineteenth

century opera, called Tristan and Isolde. The narrative of this opera revolves around

two lovers whom experience such depths of love for each other, that for them to

experience their love in completeness, they would both need to transcend life itself.

As the opera progress`s and the story unfolds, Viola`s video of the Ascension of

Tristan 2005 (figure 2) is shown. In the video, the body of a man is seen lying limp

on a cold stone slab, in an empty concrete room. Small drips of water become

apparent highlighted by the light; these drops of water are drawn upwards into the

heavens from the ground. What starts as a light rain becomes a strong torrent of

water and the cascading water, begins to awake the man’s body, bringing him back

to life. His arms begin to move and his torso arches upwards amidst the churning

water. After a while his entire body lifts, and rises upwards into the backward flowing

water. Once he has ascended into the heavens the water subsides, leaving only the

glistening empty slab (Art and electronic media 2012:[sp]). The catalyst for the

viewer to be able to experience this installation, through an auditory and visual

sensory experience, is the powerful use of grand scale as well as sound and motion.

What is of importance in the way which Viola, acquires his images, in the statement

below he describes this experience (Mennekes 2012[sp]),

But I spend most of my time in my study. That's where I really make

my art. And a lot of it has to do with waiting with preparing oneself for a

visitation of some sort. For me that is the fundamental aspect of my

work. So I don't really think these are my images in the sense that I

own them, these are my images in the sense that something came in

to me and I could then see clearly enough to know where to point the

camera and how to use my technology.

As noted, the above statement reveals that, in the process of acquiring his ideas,

Viola waits for a visitation, as well as when producing the artwork, he says that

something comes into him; both of these statements indicate a spiritual experience.

So we can see that the approach by Viola toward his work is phenomenological in

that he consciously opens up to spiritual experiences without preconceived cerebral

pre requisites , therefore the experienced outcome of artworks is unique to Viola`s

experience. Viola expresses the universality of his experience, suggesting the

images come through him, yet don’t belong to him, yet he produces them.

In the following statement Viola (Viola 2002:99) expresses the phenomenological

aspiration of his works and what his work intends, “It is not whether you understood

the text, but if you were transformed. You know, right to the very core of your being.

That puts a whole other dimension into the practice of making art”. In the following

chapter, it will be clearly seen that through the discussion and analysis of my own

works, that what binds my works to the works of Viola, is the exploration of the

experiential representation of spirituality in content and intention, as opposed to

means of production.

Chapter three The experiential act of painting and spirituality From the preceding chapters discussion revealing how phenomenology underpins

the work of Viola through the subject matter of spirituality I will now move on to

discussing my works and I will show through this chapter how this informs my

paintings. The first painting I will discuss is called In-between Sound 2013 (figure 3),

and the second painting is called Spirit Symphony 2013 (figure 10).

From the aspect of phenomenology, as discussed by Merleau Ponty, we understand

that subjectivity is bound up with one’s body, and that it is inseparable from ones

world, which includes all sensory experiences such as feeling pain or seeing colour.

(2012 sp) Therefore, as will be noted through discussion in this chapter, about both

artworks, that they are underpinned by the philosophy of phenomenology in that it is

through being consciousness of the physical process of painting; involving my bodily

senses, engaged with my own accepted subjectivity to my spiritual belief system,

that these works have been created. I intend an authentic, honest expression and

exploration of spirituality through this. Therefore as phenomenology explains “what

makes an experience conscious, is a certain awareness of the experience, while

living through the experience or performing the experience” (2012:[sp])

In the following analysis of my painting, In–between Sound 2013 (figure 3), it will be

shown that the making of the piece was experiential in that, as I did not know the

final outcome of the artwork, until it was complete. The artwork is made up of six

individual paintings that are displayed directly next to each other, in a horizontal

band to make one piece of artwork. These individual paintings are constructed so

that they are linked to each other through colour, format, and mark making, however

the images within each painting, do not extend into the following or preceding

painting. Because we read the full painting from left to right, as we would read a

sentence, the painting metaphorically becomes a conversation.

The content of the works, are based on an enquiry as to how we comprehend

spirituality, and this has been explored through the sensory experiences of speaking,

listening, and in turn hearing. The following statement by Don Idhe (Idhe 2007:3),

stated in the introduction of his book, called Listening and Voice, Phenomenologies

of Sound, describes sound as phenomena.

The beginning of man is in the midst of word. And the centre of word is

in breath and sound, in listening and speaking…But the air that is

breathed is not neutral or lifeless, for it has its life in sound and voice. Its

sound ranges from the barely or not-at-all noticed background of our

own breathing to the noises of the world and the singing of word and

song among humans. The silence of the invisible comes to life in sound.

For the human listener there is a multiplicity of senses in which there is

word in the wind.

The initial intention of In-between Sound 2013 (figure 3) is an exploration of sound

as a creative force. My point of exploration and questioning regarding sound as a

creative process is an enquiry into western theology, from a personal perspective.

Indeed, as understood and accepted that through my own subjectivity to my own

belief system, I do not argue the truths as presented by western theological

references, but I seek to explore these through questioning, and I therefore do not

offer any conclusions through these explorations.

It is clear that sound finds its audience in hearing, but how does sound find itself in

creating, and does sound find itself in an ongoing creative process? The following

extract from Listening and Voice, (Idhe 2007:14).encapsulates this as a point of

departure for continued discussion. Idhe explains that the creative power of the

Hebrew God is word, and from word, the world is formed. He continues in saying that

God may be invisible, however he reveals himself in word as a creative force.

My painting approach specifically to surface and imagery is constant through all six

paintings, and can be described in the following way. My paintings are produced in

an almost monochromatic colour palette, and painterly in approach. Colourful

underpainting, layers of impasto paint, over coated in glazes, and built up upon with

the linear edge of a palette knife indicate a dynamic dialogue between the artwork

and myself. Once I place and draw the imagery, I allow the process of painting to

take over without cerebral interference in as to how I apply paint. Although my

images are dominant on the surface and fill the canvas, the surfaces become

abstracted in that the images are not narrative nor they do not have three

dimensional perspectives or outlines. Rather the images have edges that become

part of shapes and textural surfaces. So the paintings have no foreground or

background, and the image becomes part of the surface, as much as the surface

becomes part of the image

As indicated, In-between Sound 2013 (figure 3) comprises of six individual paintings,

for the purposes of this critical analysis and discussion, I will detail the paintings, as

read from the left to the right in numerical order, beginning at, In-Between Sound No

1(figure 4) through to In-between Sound No 6 ( figure9 ). In In-between Sound No 1

(figure 4) is horizontal in format, measuring 2000mm in width and 1000mm in length.

On the left hand side of the canvas; a man is in the act of listening, he holds an ear

trumpet to his ear. The intention and significance of the act of listening is that it has a

relationship with silence. The act of listening applies to both the external

physiological ear, as it does to the internal spiritual ear (Idhe 2007:164). As Idhe

says, the God of the Word, the Western God, although invisible, has presence

through the sounding of word. Idhe likens God to an intense auditory experience

Directly next to In-between Sound No1 (figure 4), in order are placed, In-between

Sound No 2, 3, 4 and 5 (figures 5-9) . The formats of these portraits are square,

measuring 1000mm x 10mmm, two are female, and two are male. The portraits,

representing universal man, are deliberately obscured through the suggestion of

digital distortion and static. These four portraits represent “not hearing”, and suggest

literally being “out of tune”. The suggestion of static becomes an important textural

surface element in these pieces, as it becomes the visual link from one piece to

three next. Across the surface, random patches of linear marks are struck

horizontally across the surface using a palette knife, representational of static. While

creating the marks representing static, I choose to listen to static; by deliberately

tune out the radio station. This process involves my physical environment on a

sensory auditory level to become part of the work and in turn becomes a combined

intuitive painting experience. The use of static as a metaphor becomes more

prevalent in the artworks as these pieces progress.

In In-between Sound No 6 (figure 9), is in width 2000mm and is 1000mm in length. I

have approached this piece from a perspective that sound creates; I chose to listen

to Jazz, while I painted. I wanted to indulge myself in sound, so that sound may be

reflected in the works, through the rhythmical mark making. The influence of Wassily

Kandinsky on my work is realised through understanding the impact of music upon

Kandinsky and his work. The commonality between music and abstraction is that

music reflects an inner world without the need of narrative description. Kandinsky`s

work evolved into a visual language, where shape and colour were paralleled to

sounds and symbols and he constructed entire compositions liberated entirely from

the narrative and figurative (Webber 2006: [sp]). In-Between Sound No 6 (figure 9),

on the right hand side of the canvas; a man blows into a bugle through a

megaphone. In the expectation of the emergence of sound from the bugle, one finds

a grouping of figures emerging as if diving, from the bugle. These figures are

obscured underneath the surface of the paint, and are made visible through a slightly

raised surface application. This image symbolically becomes representational of the

nature of sound to create (Idhe 2007:55). Idhe states that sounds are frequently

thought of as anticipatory clues for ultimate visual fulfilments.

He (Idhe 2007:51) also clearly demonstrates that the presence of the invisible is

made visible through its effect, rather than its physical being, as seen in the example

of wind, that we cannot see it, however we can see its effect. “What is the wind? It

belongs, with motion, to the realm of verb. The wind is “seen” in its effects, less than

a verb, its visible being is what it has done in passing by”. Near the megaphone, I

have painted electrical pylons, with the linear edge of the palette knife. The image of

the pylons came through a process of reflective spiritual contemplation, as an

experience. Thus we can see that here is an affinity to Viola in the acquiring of

images. As discussed in the previous chapter in an interview with Mennekes, Viola

states that the images come through him, but do not belong to him (Mennekes 2012:

[sp]). The image of a pylon in this piece symbolically represents God, universality

and power, bearing a constant presence across the globe. Metaphorically, spirituality

is likened to electricity which is invisible, and is available as an active power, and

becomes visible through activation.

In-between Sound No 1 (figure 4) is involves the act of hearing, and reads through

the four interference portraits to In-between Sound No 6 (figure 9), which involves

the act of saying. Because of the placing of these pieces, and that In-between Sound

No 6 (figure 9) , directs itself back to In-Between Sound No 1 (figure 4) , through the

directional activity of paint and image, the completed image reads as a conversation,

reading from left to right and then back left again. The viewer is then held visually in

this conversation.

In-between Sound 2013 (figure 3), constitutes the first series, and the second series

I have painted is called Spirit Symphony 2013 (figure 10), I have utilised the same

concept of displaying singular canvas`s hung directly next to each other. In-between

Sound 2013 (figure 3), reads as a conversation, whereas, Spirit Symphony 2013

(figure10) reads as a bar of music in that a bar of music is made up of a combination

of notes and chords, and the sound continues after the bar of music. In Spirit

Symphony 2013 (figure 10) the combination of paintings displayed together have the

presence of music, through the use of imagery, as well as through the horizontal

bands in the paintings. I have used five canvas`s all equally sized at 1000mm x

1000mm. In these paintings I continue to explore spirituality through sound and

silence. For the purposes of analysis and discussion, these paintings will be called

Spirit Symphony No 1 (figure 11) through to Spirit Symphony No 5 (figure15).

The intention of these pieces is to continue to explore an approach of creating works

that engage with the subject matter of spirituality through concept and the

phenomena of painting. The making of the artworks, is less gestural, and the colour

palette far brighter. I have aligned my colour palette closer to the colours found in

televised digital distortion; therefore, the underpainting is painted in bright bands of

colour from fuchsia to lime greens and acid yellows. The build-up of paint on the

surface of the canvas is formulated and visually textural. The demarcated bands of

colour and texture are built up in layered horizontal shapes. The surfaces develop in

an intuitive way, with mark making and colour application being applied in a detailed

and consistent manner. I have used the image of an opera singer, which is dominant

and fills the canvas. As in In-between Sound 2013 (figure 3), the surface and image

are as important as each other. At times the image can be clearly seen and at other

times, the image is merely a suggestion, and merges with the surface of the canvas.

I have used a variety of techniques to build up this surface, some areas with varied

size brushes, and other areas with the linear edge of a palette knife. The surface

becomes pixelated through the use of layered paint. The images remain within the

context of televised digital distortion and static. This is symbolic of being “out of tune”

spiritually.

As seen in Spirit Symphony No1 (figure 11) , the overall painting reveals sound,

through the portrait image of a female opera singer, as the paintings progress, the

image echoes through the individual paintings of Spirit Symphony No 2 and No 3,

and in Spirit Symphony No 4 (figure 14) she dissolves into the surface of the

painting, becoming digital static.

I chose an opera singer because of the level of sound achieved vocally. The high

frequency of sound achieved by an opera singer, has the capacity to break glass, a

recognised phenomenon of making sound visible. Sound breaks glass due to the

fact that sound resonates with the molecular structure of the glass through

vibrational intensity, thereby changing the molecular structure of the glass. We do

not see sound itself, but we see the effect of sound. Metaphorically this is seen as

sound creates. Sound has a relationship with silence and echo`s itself into silence.

When there is an echo, we are inclined from an auditory perspective to listen more

attentively. The Doppler effect is a scientific principal, described as , the further you

move further away from the source of sound the less you will hear (The physics

classroom sp). Metaphorically, this forms a parallel for hearing spiritually.

Between Spirit Symphony No1 (figure 11) and Spirit Symphony No 4 (figure 14), the

colour palette has also shifted from bright acid tones, to a lighter tonal range, almost

representing the end of the echo as it is lost. On the right hand side of the canvas in

Spirit Symphony No 4( figure 14), the surface changes into a flat plane, which is in

stark contrast the highly textural build-up of paint from the preceding paintings, which

is indicative of multiple pixels in transmission. The sudden silence of the flat surface

is scattered with the last bits of digital distortion and pixels, represented in small

vertical and horizontal bands floating over the flat surface. In Spirit Symphony No 5

(figure 15), we see the clear, still and silent portrait image of a woman listening with

an ear trumpet.

Spirit Symphony 2013 (figure 10) contains both sound and silence, conveyed both in

the actual images of sound and silence, but also the way paint is applied through

texture, tone and colour. The philosophy of phenomenology is revealed through the

process of actual painting, because I do not know the full outcome of the painting, I

allow the painting to emerge. The outcome of my work is influenced by the fact that I

allow myself to be immersed in sound as I paint, and I involve myself in the activity of

painting with an auditory influence, as I listen. I have an awareness of myself as an

artist and an openness to spirituality. The actual viewing of the work, from the

viewer’s perspective, provides an experience of phenomenology as it is experienced

from their point of view.

Conclusion

Spirituality from an aspect of phenomenology is understood through reflection, and

observation of one’s own daily practice and activity. Phenomenology, as a

philosophy provides the necessary platform for understanding consciousness or

awareness as experienced by an individual within a capacity unique to their world

view. Therefore as understood through this paper, our human capacity for conscious

experience of the synthesis of creativity and spirituality is universal and is evident in

the artworks seen from different time periods.

Spirituality in art transcends culture and religion, which has been demonstrated in

this paper, through the discussion concerning the creating and viewing of the

artworks of the San tribe in Southern Africa, relevant to the Stone Age, right through

to the creating and viewing of artworks of contemporary American video and film

artist, Bill Viola. Through my own works, I hope to raise the awareness and

relevancy of the practice of art within a spiritual context both in the making of art and

in the viewing of art. I would like to conclude with the following statement by Viola

(cited in Guion 2008:98)

There wasn’t a time when things were any more spiritual than they are

now. There wasn’t a time when there were all these gods around us in

this spiritual world and now consciousness has evolved so we don’t

need that any more. It’s always there. We happen to live in an age that

doesn’t reflect it or encourage it or focus it in the way that cultures have

done in the past where religion has been dominant. But that doesn’t

mean that it’s not there.

.

Figure 1: Viola, B. (2) The reflecting pool (1977 – 1979) Video Installation

Size unknown. The Art institute of Chicago (Perov 2009)

Figure 2: Viola, B. The ascension of Tristan. 2005 Video Installation

Size unknown. The Stavenger Art Museum, Norway.

Figure 3: Tearnan, K In-between ( 2013) Full painting Mixed Media on canvas


Figure 4: Tearnan, K In-between Sound No 1 (2013) ,


Figure 5: Tearnan, K In-between Sound No 2 ( 2013) , Size: 1000mm x 1000mm Private collection of the artist

Figure 6: Tearnan, K In-between Sound No 3 ( 2013) , Size: 1000mm x 1000mm Private collection of the artist

Figure 7: Tearnan, K In-between Sound No 4( 2013)


Figure 8: Tearnan, K In-between Sound No 5 ( 2013)


Figure 9: Tearnan, K In-between Sound No 6 ( 2013) ,


Figure 10: Tearnan, K Spirit Symphony ( 2013) , Full painting


Figure 11: Tearnan, K Spirit Symphony No 1 ( 2013) ,




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The Phenomenology of Spirituality in Art

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