Dynamics in the History of Religions between Asia and Europe
Workshop
Written, Built, Performed. Thresholds of Transcendence between Western Christianity and the “Wisdom of the East”
CERES Palais, room "Ruhrpott" (4.13)
The architecture of Christian churches was historically understood to provide a threshold between immanence and transcendence, with liturgy as the gatekeeper. Today a large section of the population seems to be ignorant regarding the role of liturgical performance. In contrast, the buildings themselves became perceived as enabling the grasp of transcendence, thus pointing towards a shift in understanding the relationship between build space and religious practice.
The workshop aims to come to a basic understanding regarding potential roles of architecture as a means to experience or divine transcendence. Researchers with backgrounds in various religious studies on one hand and neighbouring fields with interest in 'civil religions' inform about the traditional and modern practices (written, performed and built) to mark the threshold between immanence and transcendence, both in Asia and Europe.
