BlackLab: Adventures in Still Pictures

Remix: Rob Rusling’s Faith

For an introduction to the Remix series, see this post.

“The subject of Jackie Nickerson’s “Faith” is nuns and monks in Ireland who have devoted their life to their faith. The work explores the everyday lives of these people and an often homemade feel which characterizes their personal takes on their religion. The work questions what it takes to devote oneself to a life of solitude and routine on the basis of faith. The aesthetic style of her images seems to mimic the lives of her subjects; simple, soft, calm and silent – a considered approach to a considered lifestyle.

Altar, Consola de Italiana, Bradford, 2009

I didn’t want this exercise to be about me mimicking Nickerson’s work. Being half Italian, I knew of the Italian consulate and the way it is run by a single missionary who puts on Mass and creates a place of community for Catholic Italians in the area. It felt interesting to me that in the same way Nickerson’s subjects had devoted their lives to faith this man had too. He has moved from his home in Italy to create a place where people from his faith and his country can come together.

Don Antonio, consola de Italiana, Bradford, 2009

The place he has created is very “Homemade”. They have typical statues and chalices, etc. but most things in the little chapel have just been adapted to be used during Mass. I wanted to take the solitude and sense of silence that Nickerson achieves in her work and combine it with this homemade feel. There’s a real sense of devotion to the place. It’s not important whether it looks like you’d expect a church to look. It’s more important that there is somewhere to pray.

On a technical level creating the work was fairly easy, it’s a similar aesthetic to that which I tend to use, I just had to make sure I made the most of the available light, not creating images that were too busy.

I knew about the Chapel/Consulate because my “Nonna” (grandmother) goes to Mass there and is very much part of that community. I used to go there as a kid and remember always being fascinated with a church that was a house, a church, a school and a Consulate all in one small space – all because people were willing to devote themselves to creating that community and that place of worship.

Offerings, consola de Italiana, Bradford, 2009

Once I’d finished the work, an interesting thing happened. I’d promised the Priest in the pictures a picture of the inside of the church; one which I obviously thought was the best. So I printed up the picture of the altar and sent it back to my mum to give to Nonna to give to the Priest. When I next saw my mum I asked what Nonna’s reaction had been to the picture and she said, “the first thing she said was that you’d cut Jesus Christ in half.” I found it interesting that to my Nonna the icons are what make the place important. But to me, I just think that we know people follow Christ – what’s important here is the means that have been put in place to allow people to have somewhere to worship, somewhere to come together. So that little woven basket for spare change means more to the place than a crucifix as far as I’m concerned.” Rob Rusling.