Temple of Reason - en

Temple of Reason

 

In her series "Temple of Reason", Eva-Maria Lopez is dealing with a phenomenon of the French Revolution to which is paid little attention nowadays. In 1793/94 the reconstitution of the churches aimed at cleansing them from utensils of Christian cult. These new temples were symbolic centers of the culte de la Raison, and later the "Culte de L'Etre supreme". With this supreme creature, nature, represented by leaves, flowers and soil, came into the temple and became its new decor. Wall inscriptions and altars manifested its inauguration as "Pemple of Reason" or "Temple of Philosophy" etc. Soil was heaped up by the "citoyens" over the main altar and they planted trees, erected allegoric statues or layed out serpentine trails. After the readmission of the catholic church in the year III of the Revolution these hills and the Republican decor disappeared again from the churches.
Likewise, Eva-Maria Lopez asks, what are our "Ersatz" religions, what are our Temples of Reason today, where is soil heaped up.
The transfer into our time is performed by the artist through supreposition of two images for which the interior of a church forms the matrix. These photographs initiate a complex dialog about our cults, our history, our rituals as well as self-reflection and the identity of a globalized society.

translation: Ulrike Streubel

 

 

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