Kaaba is a 2020 sculpture by Edgar Sarin. It is made from oak and the clay found in Bois de Clamart. Throughout the exhibition, artworks were grafted onto the sculpture. Its form is inspired by Celtic granaries and so the sculpture is a place where art is collected until the end of the exhibition when the artworks are removed. The Kaaba will, then, be built elsewhere, reconstructed with the clay of the new locality and the process will begin again.

edgar sarin objectif : société

Messiaen’s commentary for X. Regard de l’esprit de joie (Gaze of the spirit of joy)

“Vehement dance, drunken sound of horns, rapture of the Holy Spirit … the joy of the love of God happy in the soul of Jesus Christ …

I have always been very struck by the fact that God is happy – and that this ineffable and continuous joy lived in the soul of Christ. Joy is for me a rapture, a drunkenness in the maddest sense of the term.

Form: Eastern dance, in the lowest range, in unequal neumes, like a plainchant. First, is the development of the Theme of Joy. Asymmetrical enlargement. A sort of hunting air in three variations. Second, the development of the Theme of Joy and the Theme of God. Reprise of the eastern dance, shrillest and lowest ranges together. Coda on the Theme of Joy.”

We worship a creative God, who takes great joy in what He makes. He also takes great joy in the process of creation, and involves us in it continually. Works like Kaaba allow us to witness preparation in real time as we view a stage of development. We can become more aware of how we are not finished, and that we are preparing ourselves for what is next, ultimately embracing how God will enter our world and change everything about what we think we’ve done on our own.

Lord - we offer our sense of control to You. We work hard to achieve dominion over our lives, but such an idea is a facade. Our lives are Yours, as is our preparation for life in Your kingdom. Prepare us to partake in the ongoing process of creation, to make a home in our hearts for Christ. We thank You for Your light entering the darkness.