INSTALLATION
The installation of the fused glass windows became as much a part of the
spiritual journey as the conceptualization of the project (see "The
Story") and the satisfying completed work of art.
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1.
Moving in on Easter Sunday was an all church affair as members hauled in chairs
to the Sanctuary which was literally still under construction. The open organ
pit behind the raised choir platform was covered with plywood leaning up against
the wall. Giant sheets of vis-queen plastic protected the white sand finished
plaster walls that had just been sprayed. The first service was about to begin.
It was quite a welcoming for all. The process had begun. A new life had started
for this little church community.
2.
The first service was conducted in their new Sanctuary on Easter Sunday with
only one Fused Glass Panel in place. It was an extraordinary surprise for the
Congregation. One can only guess at the kinds of emotions that were generated
within the hearts and minds of the membership who had worked so hard just to be
able to build the church. It was on this morning that the first few words were
shared with the members about what was to be forthcoming, and what this first
Fused Glass Panel meant in the philosophical and liberal religious belief system
of the North Shore Unitarian Church. The search for truth is the truth.
3.
It had been about 4 months since the first panel had been installed for Easter
Sunday. Now the second one, "Treasures from under the Earth" is nestled into its
sacred space, secret place. It is another integral part of the overall concept,
"The Search for Truth is the Truth". This panel begins to portray how the
historical finds from archaeological and other excavations have reflected and
impacted human thought and development throughout history. Embedded into this
fusion are glass replicas of an ancient Greek vial, part of a stone tablet
bearing hieroglyphic text, and a Great Aurochs pre-historic cave painting from
Lascaux. The scale, scope, intricacy, and deeply liberal religious meaning of
the Sculptured Fused Glass Wall slowly began to take shape. How will all of this
impact and inspire today's humans? The search for truth is the truth.
4.
Upon opening the doors to the Sanctuary only
three panels of the central composition greeted all in their glorious color and
brilliance. It was quite a sight for the members and visitors to behold as they
walked in. Each Sunday they would arrive not knowing what to expect as they were
told the panels were being done as quickly as Bob could produce them. He was a
one man shop. The anticipation was part of the magic and mystery of the story as
it developed over the 3 years and is still developing and evolving ... as the
sun rising in the East is also ever-changing.
5.Visitors,
members and friends could only slightly begin to comprehend the complex,
poetic nature of Bob's Fused Glass miracles of wonderment as the months rolled
by and another panel would be installed. In reality, having them set in place
individually over a 3 year period allowed each of the members to learn about
and study their unique detail and his artistry ... as well as reflect upon the
profound messages each contained.The search for truth is the truth.
6.
The true sculptural nature and story of the
entire wall and its meaning slowly began to emerge. The fusions glistened in the
sun, reflecting their brilliant colors and textures on the white sand finished
plaster shapes. The gently rolling, undulating forms embrace each panel within
its own unique sculptured setting and provide a continuously changing symphony
of color, form and shape. People to this day wander back and forth along the
wall, touching a panel, rubbing their fingers across the various surfaces,
adding yet another sensual experience to their ever-changing, ever-evolving
understanding of the medium and the message. It has been said that it is quite a
profound emotional experience for many, day and night, dusk to dawn. The search
for truth is the truth.
7.
Bob White came to the church for the first time
since the initial concept presentation was presented to the building committee,
15 months prior, to experience three of his panels now installed. He was
overwhelmed beyond words ... and almost fell off the ladder in ecstasy. What an
incredible thrill it was for him to experience the results of his years of
research and work as to how he had studied, envisioned light ... its
transmission, refraction, reflectance and entrapment within fused glass ... and
now see the reality in place. He had never done anything on this scale before!
It was even more-so true for the members and visitors to the Sanctuary, then and
even to this day.
8.
It took almost a week to carefully fit, match and install the three separate
pieces of this panel into its tall, slender, sculptured opening. It was the
fifth panel of the 23 that would eventually grace this sacred space. Amazingly,
it all went together like a Swiss watch as Bob had carefully matched each of his
fabricated fused glass panels exactly to the precise plywood templates given to
him. From one Sunday to the next, the congregation arrived to gather in a whole
new understanding of Bob's genius, and the multiple human messages the entire
work contained.
9.
The largest panel of all, embodies Copernicus' world shaking mathematical
diagrammatic theories, literally changing how Earth, the Universe, our Cosmos
exists in reality. Earth is NOT the center of all things as Papal Rome had
declared. This caused world-wide upheavals at that time in history. The
Promethean Man hands down the fire of knowledge to "Man the Searcher" ... a
thrilling experience to install as well as experience in the soaring, sculptural
Sanctuary space. Only now could the viewer sense the profound philosophical
messages ... the scale and scope of the Fused Glass Wall. The initial vision
that had been spawned began to portray the story and that was still evolving.
10.
Each Sunday, as new panels had been set in place, the members of the church
could now begin to see the near magical delicate reflections cast upon the
sculptural shapes and how they all inter-related to the overall concept and
feeling of the entire space. And since the sun always rises and sets from an
ever-so-slightly different place each day, the reflections and refractions of
light through each panel will also be ever-changing. That is true today. Each
Sunday morning one sees and finds something new and different! Charlie Emmons
wrote so eloquently about this phenomenon in his tribute to Bob White on 23
January 1983.
11.
After the first few fusions had been installed,
many members of the congregation asked if they could assist in some way, any
way, in this remarkable once-in-a-lifetime process. So they were invited to
spend a day helping with the installation in a variety of opportunities to
match their enthusiasm and skills. Each became dedicated workers, learners
extraordinaire, intrigued with the entire concept and process. Sometimes a
small panel would be given to them to study in their home for a week and then
installed. On the following Sunday a dialog sermon would be conducted and led
by Rev. Russell Bletzer and that member each giving their impressions of what
that panel meant to them and might mean to the church and community at large.
Those were remarkable services, existential and thought provoking.
12.
As the final panels were being put into place,
almost 3 years had elapsed. The Universe Expands is the over-arching theme of
this Section reflecting the newly discovered knowledge of our Cosmos through
the lens of the Hubbel telescope and the giant array of electronic technology,
terrestrial aeronomy, planetary radar and radio astronomy at the Arecibo
Observatory. Fittingly, the 6 panels spiral upward towards the heavens
above carrying with them the continuing search for truth,the microcosm and
macrocosm of reality. Church members were mesmerized and awe-struck every
Sunday as the complexity of Bob's wondrous work unfolded before them weekly.
The dialog sermons about each panel as it was put in place provided a rich
tapestry woven into history and the future at the same time.
This was an extraordinary experience for the entire
congregation to experience and witness over those years. Some of those,
whose words electrified and astounded the members and friends attending the
Sunday services as they listened and watched, included Klema Scher, Bob and
Maggie Behn, Helen Ratzer, William and Martine Sproat, Kathy Fortuna, Don
Hackman and Marilyn Henry.
Many members and friends of NSUC during those precious 2-1/2 years asked to become involved in any part of the installation if possible in any manner. Each just wanted to be a part of this extraordinary evolutionary process. So, as each panel was ready we would call upon one or two of them to become part of the team for that day of work. Some of the names that are etched into our minds are Maggie Behn, Bob Behn, Gerhard Kolb, Charlie Emmons, Charlie Moelter, Treval Powers, Tim Dirsmith, Colleen Dirsmith, Brian Dirsmith, Mary Danakas and Al Danakas. Their participation made it even more meaningful, and their own stories are just as precious.