I'm first and foremost an IT and technology guy, but I have an artistic side as well. I enjoy taking photos of nature and landscapes, and my most recent project is a still life project. The project celebrates the culture and history of western Europe, which I regard as my birthright and my own culture.
The liturgical year in still life
I regard myself as an agnostic, so it might at a first glance to be exotic that I would like to create a series of photos celebrating different christian holy days during the year. However, I am tired of how all our holy days have been totally commercialized, they are now celebrated as reasons to spend money and to eat and drink to excess.
This is my attempt to rise some awareness of why we celebrate these days, and what they mean in our culture. I would like to remind all viewers of the fact that Christianity has influenced the cultural life of western Europe for two thousand years in the south, and that it become the dominant religion in northern Europe for over one thousand year ago.
Christianity has influenced the cultural life since it's introduction. During the early Middle Ages the monasteries and convents were significant bearers of culture and education. The first universities were created as schools where priests and other church officials were educated. Religion has in all times influenced: art such as paintings and sculpture, literature, music, architecture, and peoples daily life. It is so ingrained into our culture that it is today impossible to be an educated man and not have some form of relationship to religion. This relationship can be denial (atheism), the belief that the existence of god is impossible to know (agnosticism), moderate believers, and all the way to religious fanaticism. No matter your position, the relation to religion is there
This series of photos are a celebration of that relationship, with it's many positives and drawbacks.
January February March April May June July August September October November December