- Holla at Your Savior -
[from the Installation Press Release] ''Say My Name' is a lighthearted musing on the material expression of the spiritual, as well as a meditation on the diametric qualities of the physical and divine realms.

'The installation seeks to echo/mirror the physical form and intention of Grace Cathedral itself - rich materials, elaborate decoration, and massive scale evoking the presence of God and the emotions of faith (while expressing the power of the church and the wealth of its benefactors) - essential qualities of Gothic church architecture. Expounding on the physical form of the cathedral and corresponding church traditions of bejeweled reliquaries, golden Eucharistic chalices, and the kissing of popes' rings, a contemporary manifestation takes shape as a levitating, deity-sized piece. 'Say My Name' also seeks to explore parallels between the church's luxuriant expressions of the spiritual & sacred and contemporary material displays of wealth, power, and import evidenced in popular culture.

'The letters of the nameplate, YHWH, are the transliteration of the ancient Hebrew Tetragrammaton representing God's name. The true pronunciation of God's name has been lost to taboo, time, and translation, but the prevailing interpretation is that 'YHWH' can be extrapolated to 'Yahweh,' and anglicized to 'Jehovah' (further translated by Jay-Z to 'H to the Izz O, V to the Izz A'.)

-----

The site-specific installation 'Say My Name' is the work of artist and photog Adam Wier. It was part of the summer edition of EpiscoDisco, a monthly event where community congregates to enjoy contmporary art, live performance, drinks and DJ's at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco. EpiscoDisco is hosted on the second-to-last Saturday of the month by Reverend Bertie Pearson and curatorial duo Paradise Now.

September's EpiscoDisco features artist Sarah Filley. Her installation, PRAYER ROPE, consists of 300 feet of 12-braid, marine-grade, black rope suspended in the vestibule of the cathedral. Her video piece meditatively documents the effort of counting each prayer knot illuminates the apse. The imagery of this heavy, knotted rope conjures several conflicting associations: from seafaring and military operations to eroticism and rituals of the sacred. In her own words, "The physical act of tying 100 knots in the PRAYER ROPE is a contemplative act, which has a history well beyond my own hands. Maybe we need an over-scaled PRAYER ROPE for our REALLY big sins. Or, perhaps it acts as a public plea for our collective guilt. Or, more poignantly, it may provide a visual reminder of the humility of each of our spirits." Saturday, September 19, 2009, 7-10pm. For more information, contact Paradise Now.

On View: Say My Name, by Adam Wier, installation view. Photograph by Bertie Pearson.