Sites of Ascent: Time and Gaze Beneath the Dome

To look upward within architectural space is to experience something beyond a physical perspective. From the stone canopies of medieval Christian structures to the massive glass toppers of modern commercial centers, the dome is one of the most widely used forms in architecture, a symbolic shape that represents and services the heavens, linking human-built space to the celestial realm, permitting different readings, providing the spiritual to the secular. The photo series illustrates the five major interior domes of various historical periods, placed chronologically according to the changes and the comprehension of the vertical space. Starting with the thickset, earnest forms of Romanesque buildings, we see the coming together of worship and work. The thick walls and paucity of openings enable light to spill gently down from tall, narrow windows, fostering an ambiance for meditation and silence. Appreciation for domes later moved from geometry to the meaning of the dome as a visual centrality and a representation of divinity, marked with an increased preference for Renaissance and Baroque styles. They were covered with gold, frescoes, and sculptures, and gave an impressive dialogue to the upward look, rather than just demanding a pious glance. On the modern front, concrete and stained glass redefined the lingua franca of architecture. Geometry and light became new articles of faith. This upward vision is maintained in more recent architecture with minimalist construction and lucid skylights but is essentially turned into a way of seeing art and thinking. What the photographs record is not just the shape and texture of the domes themselves; they’re also records of humanity’s evolving interpretations and aspirations of the activity of gazing up. Under these astutely fabricated skies, a tacit exchange occurs between the viewer and the architecture, between light, belief, and thought.