The Weight of Bodily Presence in Art and Liturgy

Bibliographic Data

ID3480862
AuthorsHannah Lyn Venable (0000-0002-5339-212X, Texas State University, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume12
Issue3
Pages164
Publication date2021-03-03
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel12030164
OpenAlexW3135619227
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited12

This essay addresses the question of virtual church, particularly on whether or not liturgy can be done virtually. We will approach our subject from a somewhat unusual perspective by looking to types of aesthetic experiences which we have been doing "virtually" for a long time. By exploring how we experience art in virtual and physical contexts, we gain insight into the corresponding experiences in liturgical practices. Drawing on Mikel Dufrenne, Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Gabriel Marcel, I first examine the importance of the body when we experience "presence" in aesthetic environments. Next, I consider the weight of the body in experiences of presence in liturgical practices, both in person and virtual, guided again by Gabriel Marcel as well as Bruce Ellis Benson, Emmanuel Falque, Christina Gschwandtner and Éric Palazzo. Through these reflections, I argue that what art teaches us about the significance of the physical closeness of the human applies to the practice of liturgy and that, while unexpected benefits will surface in virtual settings, nothing replaces the powerful experiences that arise when the body is physically present

Aesthetics · Art · Closeness · Epistemology · Liturgy · Nothing · Sociology · Theology · Visual arts · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Mathematics · Media, Religion, Digital Communication · Philosophy · Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices · Religious Tourism and Spaces

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