Saint Louis Beacon - Relighting a church and lamps

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Relighting a church and lamps

By Amanda King, Beacon intern

Last Updated ( Thursday, 18 September 2008 )

Video by Eric Von Schrader | St. Louis Beacon

Artists Sebastian Hungerer and Rainer Kehres discuss their upcoming installation for the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts. The piece, entitled "Chorus," will recreate the roof of the burnt out church on Spring Avenue in Grand Center with lamps and shades donated by St. Louis area residents.

New Light

The National Memorial Church of God in Christ -- aka the Spring Avenue Church -- will get a roof of light.

Q: Why did you choose the burnt out church?

A: It's such a unique place -- a dream for our work. Lightning created that room, and now we have the opportunity to do something creative there, to change it again with light emitted through the lamps of the community.

Q: Why do you want to use donated lamps and shades?

A: We are interested in the stories/histories behind the lamps and of the donors. We try to share the memories of these people and put them in one piece.

Q: What is different or special about using light in art?

A: You have very different appearances with changing light situations. It's a medium you cannot directly see. (You) always need a surface to realize its presence.

Q: Logistically, how are you going to get all the lamps and shades in place?

A: First we will need scaffolding and then we go up with a stickboom to install the steel wiring and tighten it. All in all, 289 lamps will hang on 17 strings, each with 17 waterproof sockets. Each socket has a low-consumption LED bulb. So the maximum wattage will be 200 W, which is comparable to three standard bulbs.

Donate: Hungerer and Kehres will be at Six North Coffee Co. from 9-11 a.m. on Aug 9 to collect donations of hanging lamps from the community. "Chorus" and other exhibits associated with the Community Light Project will open Sept. 4.

Read our previous story -- "Pulitzer project will bring new light to an old church" -- click here .

UPDATE: Read Ivy Cooper's review of the Light Project , see and hear about Howard Jones's art at the Bruno David Gallery, another part of the Light Project or read an early look at the project . For more on the Light Project, please visit http://www.pulitzerarts.org .

Amanda is a rising senior at Webster University and an intern for the Beacon. To reach her, contact Beacon features and commentary editor Donna Korando.

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- Come to the Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 Union Avenue, from noon to 1 p.m. Dec. 10 as students from nine St. Louis Public Schools perform international dances. The program is sponsored by Springboard to Learning & Young Audiences of St. Louis.
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Music
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- Come to the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House from 5:30-7 P.m. on Oct. 3 and 10 for OctoberOwl Outings. Reservations, which are required, can be made online or at 636-733-2339. The "owls" are owl butterflies, which get their name from the underside of their wings, which resemble a bright yellow owl eye surrounded by rich, chocolate-colored feathers. These creatures are also most active in the evening.
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- Get Out the Vote - an installation of 22 posters - is on view now through 2008 in the Arthur and Helen Baer Visual Arts Galleries in the Centene Center for Arts and Education, 3547 Olive Street in Grand Center. The galleries are open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
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- Eating St. Louis, hour-long program based on the book of the same title by Patricia Corrigan, will be broadcast at 7 p.m. Dec. 1 on KETC/Channel 9 . The show explores five aspects of food culture in the area, from farming to how St. Louisans like pizza prepared.
- Co-writer of movie "Meet Me in St. Louis" dies at age 94: Irving Brecher was nominated for an Oscar for his work on the 1944 Judy Garland film. | Los Angeles Times

Firecracker Press

To read the story about the upcoming Community Cinema showing of "Helvetica," which will include a demonstration by Eric Woods and Matty Kleinberg of the Firecracker Press, click here .

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