Saturday, February 11, 2012
I have been privileged to witness ceremonies and rituals where ‘art’ has been an important element in the ceremony. There are many available definitions for ‘art’ – I chose the one given by Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, for the context of this article, Art in Ceremony.
‘Art is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way to affect the senses or emotions. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression, including music, literature, film, photography, sculpture, and paintings.’
There is of course, the creation of art by the wedding decorators with the layout and adornment of the venue which can have a significant impact on our senses and emotions, and we all know how important the choice of music is, yet in this article, I wish to focus on the art created by the individuals, families and friends for the ceremony.
Sally and Douglas held their wedding at Gleniffer, NSW. Their wedding was a beautiful example of everyone being involved in the artistic preparation of the venue. Weeks before the wedding day they organized weekend working bees/gatherings which were relaxed and informal yet focused on the creation of lanterns, wall hangings and other decorations for the ceremony.
On the day I remember walking into the venue and being quite taken aback by the beauty and sense of ‘personal ownership’ of the space. The banners were hand painted and the decorations refreshingly alive with colour and a personal touch. This couple had even made their own clothes… Douglas hand sewing his tailored vest!
Now, not everyone has the time, inclination or artistic talent to undertake the extent of the mammoth project that they did (Sally was an event coordinator!) however there are some very simple yet beautiful ways that can enhance the ceremony and give you lasting mementoes that will be treasured.
At Roger and my renewal of vows ceremony we were all gathered at a relaxing resort for the weekend. On the Friday night I had brought lots of white 20x20cm stretched canvases, watercolours, acrylic paints and brushes. I invited our guests to paint a small picture that would adorn the ceremonial area the following day. There was no pressure to do so and I did not expect everyone to participate, yet with the exception of my 14 year old nephew everyone did! I now have these small paintings hanging on a wall in our room and when I see them I am touched by their presence and the memories it stirs. They were all very different, yet beautiful and highly creative – I am always amazed and inspired by people’s creative abilities… often just waiting to be released with a simple request such as this.
I suggested this artistic idea to a family I worked with last year. Their daughter, Cerise, had a terminal illness and I knew she loved to paint. I have taken this excerpt from my funeral book.
‘When friends came to visit during her illness they were invited to paint or do a drawing taking as much or as little time as they wished to. This time spent with Cerise was fun and the paintings surrounded her for many months lighting up her spirits when she would feel down. These miniature paintings were placed around the room at Cerise’s funeral ceremony, which reflected the creativity and colour that had been present in this beautiful young girl’s life.’
Holding to the theme of painting – at a wedding celebration I conducted a few years ago on the Gold Coast the guests were invited to place their hand print on a large canvas. (The couple had delegated a friend to assist guests and there was plenty of clean water and towels to wash their hands). This took place just prior to the start of the ceremony as guests were waiting for the bride to arrive. (Luckily there were no accidents with the paint!)
The completed canvas was placed at the back of the venue during the ceremony and I referred to it as a representation of all the love and support that was present and offered that it would be a reminder that the couple would always have plenty of ‘hands on deck’ if they needed to call upon their family and friends for support.
In a slightly different vein, when John and Ruby sent out their wedding invitations guests were asked to contribute to their wedding ceremony by sending poems, readings, quotes, pictures or photographs that related to marriage and friendship to them before the wedding day. I was given the readings and quotes to include in the ceremony and also, prior to the day, John and Ruby created a wall collage of everyone’s contributions. It looked great and everyone took time to read it and look at the fabulous pictures.
Roger and I had done this for our ceremony, inviting guests to bring a reading or quote to the ceremony which were then read out. The contributions were diverse and rich with meaning. We also placed four large white pieces of paper in the shape of love hearts on one of the walls in the ceremony area and invited guests to write their ideas on love and sacred relationship in the ‘hearts’ over the weekend. After the ceremony in our thank you notes to those that came, we shared all the ideas that had been written, some were witty, others insightful… yet another treasured memory we have from our celebration.
At Sharon’s blessingway ceremony (a ceremony for offering blessings for a mum to be) her women friends attending were invited to paint a design on her beautiful pregnant belly. Sharon was seven and a half months pregnant and enjoyed the attention. We talked about what she would like for the design and then the eight of us took turns using a henna painting kit. It took just over an hour to complete… there was lots of laughter and quiet moments… and the baby seemed to love it as well. Sharon’s belly looked beautiful!
I have always felt that the ceremony is more than just the moment on the big day. It is the planning, the meetings and the contributions of all those helping, involved and invited. There are many opportunities to be simply creative and often the outcome far exceeds expectations. People are innately artistic and creative, despite their pleas otherwise, and I am inspired by what arises when people are given the space (and no pressure) to contribute.
I would love to hear from you if you have any ideas or stories to add to this topic.
From here in beautiful Paris as the sun sets over the city I wish you a fabulous month ahead. And tomorrow, with all this creative thinking and talk of art, I will head to the famous Musée du Louvre for the day!
Until August. Kindest regards,
Wendy
