Facebook Church Installation

"In this interesting installation, the iconography of the social media age takes over a 17th-century Venetian church, Sant’Antonin. A large sculpture of Facebook’s ‘f’ logo stands cross-like in front of the altar. Overhead, large bas-reliefs created from plastic mesh show neo-apostles erecting a satellite dishes and huddling around an iPad. On the floor, weathered fragments of wood, presented as if relics of Noah’s Ark, display familiar social media symbols like the ‘mail’ icon and Twitter logo."

"One theme of the installation is that as people are becoming less spiritual, the rituals and iconography of the internet age are usurping those of religion in general and Catholicism in particular. However, in this installation, the trappings of Christianity are not being abandoned; the religious artwork, relics and structures are still there, but the new social media iconography is superimposed over top of them. Hasn’t society always been this way, with the new laid over top of the old? When today’s monotheistic religions first took root, didn’t they also adopt or cover over some of the existing pagan rituals and symbols?"

"Rituals and symbols have long been there. People find comfort in daily rituals—to pray before going to bed or to log-in to a social media site immediately after coming home. They find purpose in participating in shared experiences—going to mass or joining an online forum. They find solace in familiar symbols and sounds—the clacking of prayer beads or the beep of a message notification. Although the rituals, experiences and symbols may change, our basic human need for ritual remains."

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