DOORWAY TO HEAVEN

If heaven has no borders, why do we?

Doorway To Heaven, 2002 & 2026
Glass, rock crystal, agate, paint and stainless steel
Unique work
H230 x W90 x D13cm
© Mark Humphrey

“DOORWAY TO HEAVEN BRINGS RELIGIOUS BELIEFS TOGETHER THROUGH A SINGLE THRESHOLD. A TRANSLUCENT SHOWER DOOR, CARVED WITH AN INTERPRETATION OF LEONARDO DA VINCI’S THE VIRGIN OF THE ROCKS, OPENS INTO A DARK SPACE, BRINGING A RENAISSANCE IMAGE INTO A SETTING ASSOCIATED WITH PURIFICATION AND REBIRTH. A PRECIOUS-STONE MICRO-MOSAIC AND A HAND-PAINTED VIRGIN APPEAR ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE DOOR HANDLE, PRESENTING HER IN TWO DIFFERENT INTERPRETATIONS. THE ROCK CRYSTAL HANDLE, LIKE A JEWEL, BECOMES THE POINT OF TOUCH – AN INVITATION TO ENTER THE UNKNOWN.

THE SEMI-TRANSPARENT DOOR SEPARATES YET ALLOWS US TO SEE THROUGH IT, CREATING A BARRIER THAT EXISTS BUT DOES NOT COMPLETELY DIVIDE. TOUCH THE HANDLE. OPEN THE DOOR. DIFFERENT RELIGIONS, DIFFERENT FAITHS, DIFFERENT BELIEFS – YET PERHAPS A SHARED HOPE FOR WHAT LIES BEYOND.”

Mark Humphrey