By Anivia Deng
During a peaceful Sunday in the early fall of 2024, with a purple cassock on and white surplice in hand, I wandered around the nave of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine after a rehearsal for an afternoon service of Evensong. A group of visitors approached me, probably after seeing me with my service customs on, and asked me about some round-headed figures standing on the columns of the building.
As I look up at a visitor’s finger pointing up to the columns, I think, ah, those attention-grabbers. Who can ignore some big pieces of fish and fish skeletons sitting in a niche reserved for a saint? I explained to these visitors that those sculptures are Tom Otterness’s work, named “Life and Death.” “Life and Death” was installed for the Value of Food exhibition at the Cathedral in 2015. As the clergy and congregation at the time showed profound appreciation for Otterness’ work, “Life and Death” remains at its location after the exhibition's closing.
What is this Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine that gladly offered space for these sculptures to dwell in? Though unfinished, the Cathedral is still the world's fourth-largest church by area. Never intended to host any relic, the Cathedral was planned as a monumental pilgrimage church for pomp and circumstances in the late 19th century. Running out of money after WWII, the cathedral transepts and crossing are unfinished, its bell towers were never built, and its dome and ceiling are half-done. Still, its Gothic revival nave and radiating chapels, Romanesque revival choir, and Byzantium revival ambulatory, and arguably, brutalist crossing because of its incompleteness, served its not-to-big congregation well. With soaring vaulting, a five-isles pewless block-long nave, and almost bare stone walls and columns, the cathedral has a sheltered, continuous space with little sight disruption. Exquisite stained glass from around the workshops in the United States shines within the dimly lit gothic space, casting color lights onto the compounded pillars with the warm afternoon sunshine.
“Life and Death” were situated in this space. These groups of limestone-colored cast plaster sculptures of human figures and animal creatures resemble cartoonish dolls greatly, as they have round and smooth contours, exaggerated round heads, hands, and feet connected to a rounded body with thin, string-like limps. Dolls are often seen as toys for children, but it is under such perception that they reveal the truth of the world. As some are in suits and dresses, holding bags of money, others in incomplete clothes, begging for food and changes, differences in appearance evoke the ideas of social class, discuss wealth and poverty, and create a conversation about food security, segregation, and aiding the poor, which churches have always claimed to tackle in modern days. Done in pairs of representations of body and bones, these figures and animals communicate across the architectural space in juxtaposition, creating a dialogue of life and death at the corners of the cathedral space. This dialogue illustrates humans' endless need to consume and seek territory growth and risk the destruction of nature and animal species, resulting in the deprivation of life. Dolls jump down from the top of the columns, symbolizing the individuals who have lost hope and decided to end their lives, provoking thoughts of class oppression and systematic flaws of the current society.
As I introduce these sculptures to visitors, a French man politely expresses his opposition to art through his friends’ mouths. From what they think, representing sin, especially the “insensitive” presentation of suicide, could backfire on the church. But I believe there are multiple interpretations you can cast on “Life and Death,” and its meaning has become more significant with the space it is in. “Life and Death” can attack the current capitalist society. Using New York City, the world's financial capital, as its background, Otterness sharply addresses human greed for money and consumption. The representation of the wealthy and poor speaks to the city's segregation, and the depiction of the suicidal humans helps Otterness point out the fragmented social structure we currently have. By being in the background of this incomplete Cathedral, “Life and Death” became a firm statement of the Cathedral’s attitude towards capitalism and a warning sign for itself, showing the harm religious institutions can turn into by endorsing injustice and capitalism. “Life and Death” can also address its viewers from a personal perspective. Standing above the Great Bronze Doors, sitting in the niches preserved for the saints in front of the choir, and staging everyday life in spaces created by the incomplete construction of the limestone columns, they positively affirmed and declared the possibility of incomplete status in the Cathedral and commented on the incompleteness of one’s life and its endless potential. Its small sculptures, contrasted with the prominent architectural interior, echo the relationship between tiny humans and the vast nature.The Cathedral has been a great patron of the arts and has supported artists such as Keith Haring, Janet Cardiff, Xu Bing, Aljoscha, and, of course, Tom Otterness by providing a temporary home to their work. Tom Otterness’s art career is deeply connected to New York. In 1970, Otterness came to New York to study at the Arts Students League and soon began to pave the way to the contemporary art world. Since 1973, he has participated in the Whitney Independent Study Program, taken part in various artist communities, and organized shows at important locations. “Life and Death” was a work that Otterness voluntarily provided to the cathedral, as the current Director of Public Education, Ruth Whaley, recalled. Oterness initially enters the exhibition Value of Food with his sculpture, “The Table.” Still, seeing the empty nooks and crannies of the unfinished cathedral, he was inspired to create a second piece of the show, “Life and Death.” Since the installation, some elements have been adjusted in location, but most of the sculptures are original places, bringing a sense of playfulness to this otherwise slightly bare place.
As I said goodbye to the visitors, I reflected on how people here have excellent tolerance for the different expressions in New York City. Looking at “Life and Death,” I found the Cathedral’s devotion to celebrating the diversity of expression and opinions. It provides a platform for artists to voice their concerns, even if the message contradicts their beliefs. This clash between cultures and faith brought thoughts, inspiration, and discussion to the congregation and visitors, the faithful and faithless, contributing and curating a more transparent, diverse art scene in New York City.
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