Qld: Science meets God in glass designs

AAP General News (Australia)
04-30-2009
Qld: Science meets God in glass designs

By Jessica Marszalek

BRISBANE, April 30 AAP - A Brisbane cathedral is fishing for controversy with a new
set of stained glass windows using images from space and themes such as the environment,
genetics and equality.

The 12 new windows by stained glass artist Glenn Mack were installed at St John's Anglican
Cathedral in Brisbane on Thursday.

Featuring excerpts from St John's gospel alongside images of the cosmos and Einstein's
famous E=MC2 equation, they join a century of traditional artwork in the church.

"The brief was `creation' and to me I was more interested in the creation of our future,"

Mr Mack told AAP as the new works were unveiled.

He said he hoped the modern style would have an impact on the public.

"All the backgrounds are shots taken from the Hubble spacecraft - things like the surface
of Mars and the solar flares on the sun - and that's to really project our vision much
wider than just here on earth," he said.

"They will be controversial, I hope so.

"They're meant to begin a dialogue between the church and people, so if they're controversial
they will have succeeded."

Anglican Dean of Brisbane Peter Catt, who was a scientist before becoming a priest,
said the church wanted to engage with modern society.

"We're actually interested in talking across what some people see as divides," he said.

"There's a classic division between science and religion. We think that's an artificial division.

"It's really representing our desire to be in conversation and to move into the future."

AAP jmm/pjo/jl

KEYWORD: GLASS (PIX AVAILABLE)

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