Introduction
As you enter into Crystal Mount Realm, you will see a mount with a crystal-like city on top of a hill brilliantly lit up in a golden-yellow colour more than twelve feet high. There are six trees, each in their own alcove, surrounding the mount. Three of the six trees have steel branches with copper twigs and brass leaves. The other three trees have life-like glass crystals with pulsating lights sitting atop the trees, giving the impression of being alive. Each alcove has figurative crystals growing out of the mount, each bearing their own specific coloured lighting of green, blue, purple, yellow, red with black streaks, and reddish-orange with black streaks. The alcoves extend out from the mount, tapering to the ground like the roots of a Kapok tree or a ziggurat. You walk around Crystal Mount Realm following a clockwise path around the mount in a circle as one would a meditation labyrinth. The ground under Crystal Mount Realm is peat moss adding an earthen scent.
The golden-yellow colour of the city on top of Crystal Mount Realm depicts New Jerusalem as it descends from Heaven, as described by John in the Book of Revelation in the Bible. The city is a focal point of the realm. The glowing crystals on top of the mount are a representation of the Celestial City of New Jerusalem with the brilliance of a golden-yellow coloured jewel as clear as crystal. The bejeweled city is like a beacon summoning everyone from afar to be guided towards Crystal Mount Realm.
In each of the six alcoves surrounding Crystal Mount Realm, there is a tree that represents a Tree of Life that bears its own fruits, and three of the trees have metaphorical medicinal leaves representing the leaves for the healing of nations, as described in the Bible. Each alcove is lit up with their individual specific colour representing six of the twelve gemstones of the foundation of New Jerusalem. The six gemstones represented in Crystal Mount Realm are jasper, sapphire, amethyst, emerald, sardonyx and beryl. Three of the six trees have crystal growths extending from atop the trees lit up with pulsating lights symbolizing a heartbeat pumping blood through the body; a symbol of life. The glass growths, on top of three of the trees, have a symbiotic relationship with the trees representing living entities in themselves, a cross between fungi and jellyfish. John, in the Book of Revelation of the Bible, describes each tree producing twelve fruits monthly. The trees nourish and heal on the way to the Celestial City.
There is a metaphorical communication among the trees. Even though the six trees are in their own alcoves, they are part of a family system connected through a metaphorical rhizome of roots and fungi. The fungi act as a fiber optic system. The viewer cannot see these connections, but they can imagine roots growing under the ground to each tree. The trees form their own community, healing and nourishing each other.
Crystal Mount Realm exists as an offering to visitors as a spiritual experience no matter their beliefs. Visitors who are not well-versed in the Bible would not know all of the biblical references contained within Crystal Mount Realm. Without understanding the Book of Revelation, people visiting would still be able to connect with the energy from the lights, the sculpted trees, the fungi, and the imposing figure of the mount. There is a universality which connects all people despite our differences. People are able to feel awe when seeing the view from the top of a mountain or watching fireworks together. I am creating an environment that will draw people into the unique experience Crystal Mount Realm offers. What each person receives will be unique to the life experience each person brings to Crystal Mount Realm.
Light
An important component to Crystal Mount Realm is the use of light. Light is used not to define objects, but to bring them to life. In Crystal Mount Realm, the illumination of the crystals is from within the glass crystal structures and along the trunks of the trees. Where there is light, there is life, and my use of light is an indication of life happening. Artist James Turrell uses light as his subject. The ultimate goal is the effect of light upon the viewer experiencing it, and that is where Turrell and I are in dialogue. The experience of the light may be one of deep transformation on a spiritual level for the viewer.
The light signals to the viewer that the glass crystals and the trees in Crystal Mount Realm are alive. In bringing Crystal Mount Realm to life as a live habitat, the use of light is an important aspect in accomplishing this impression. The light from within the glass crystal structures slowly pulsing gives the impression the glass crystals are living beings. The slow pulse signals a heart pumping blood throughout the crystals keeping it alive. Within each glass crystal, one can see an infinite amount of air bubbles, which could be seen as entire galaxies of stars, especially when light passes through them. Each glass crystal could represent a universe of its own. The textured plexiglass crystal forms are lit up in unison with the glass crystals. When the light from each separate glass and plexiglass crystal unites with all of the other lighted glass crystals, at the same time, it feels as though one is experiencing eternity. Jeffrey Kosky, Professor of Religion at Washington and Lee University, writes that Turrell is drawing attention to the light itself because light is not noticed until it is brought through an oculus. Kosky goes on to describe Turrell’s use of light:
Instead, Turrell creates viewing chambers where we are brought to see the light we most often forget in our everyday fascination with the objects it makes visible.
In the Quaker faith, worshippers gather in a room with a skylight where the light flows in for spiritual contemplation. Turrell’s upbringing in the Quaker faith and later, building Quaker Meeting Houses inspired him. Turrell focuses viewers’ attention to the light to draw them toward it. Turrell is projecting light and using the chamber designs to manipulate the shape and size of that light to bring an immersive experience for viewers to contemplate their spiritual connection to that light.
The ultimate goal of the lights in Crystal Mount Realm is to provide the immersive, transformational, spiritual experience for viewers. Crystal Mount Realm sits in a surrounding dark space for the viewer to have an immersive experience with the installation, drawing people to the light of the trees and the crystals. Viewers move in a circular path around Crystal Mount Realm, which can be a similar experience to a meditative labyrinth. The hues of the glass and the lights may have healing properties. The experience in its entirety can be mesmerizing to some. Turrell’s motivation for his work with light is for people to contemplate the light and to have their own personal connection to it. Jeffrey Kosky suggests that Turrell’s use of light connects us to the divine. He writes:
The cosmos, as a whole and in all its multiplicity, is an overflow of divine light proceeding out of itself so that all things might return to divinity by being gathered and uplifted into unity with the divine light as they enter its light. Everything is indeed illuminated— and, even more, illuminating: both shining like light and enlightening us.
The experience of light is clarity which brings enlightenment when one connects with it. My own spiritual relationship with light is my connection with God who is light. God breathes life into every creature by giving light to each one. The experience of light is primal and is the basis for all human life. I am intrigued by the experience of Divine light. My connection to this light starts with those twelve verses in the first chapter of the Gospel of John. My belief that God is Light, and that light shines through all of the stars and nebulae in the universe, and each star lights up and warms each planet within their own solar systems.
The topic of light is fundamental to all life, and yet it is a very complex experience. How viewers experience light is a perceptive one on an individual level, and how that light transforms the individual is another level, which cannot be prescriptive, but experiential. There is the light and all of its connotations, and then there is the layer of color added to the light, which adds to that experience. The cumulative effect of light is to transform and to be able to have a more transcendent experience. The external world experienced on an elemental level can be profound and enrich our lives in our human quest for connection and insight. The interconnectedness of the lights in Crystal Mount Realm unite and the viewers become connected to the life that exists throughout Crystal Mount Realm. The viewer becomes intertwined with the world of Crystal Mount Realm giving the opportunity for enlightenment that is the possibility for deeper personal understanding and connection.
Crystals
In Crystal Mount Realm, crystals play an important role in conveying the spiritual connection they have upon the viewer experiencing them. Lauren Haynes and Joachim Pissarro, Co-Curators for the exhibition of Crystals in Art: Ancient to Today, write about the spiritual and divine connections crystals create. Since ancient times, crystals have been used as a conduit through religious and spiritual practice to connect with realms beyond human reach to attain divine wisdom. The tangible crystals provide intangible experiences for those who desire this connection. According to Revelation in the Bible, the city of New Jerusalem built upon a foundation of twelve distinct crystals demonstrate the glory of God. The healing properties the crystals possess will be felt by all who live there. With Crystal Mount Realm, the eternal beauty of a safe haven is imagined, incorporating metaphorical crystals to connect to the divine.
Since ancient times, crystals have been used as a conduit through religious and spiritual practice to connect with realms beyond human reach to attain divine wisdom. Crystals are naturally formed from minerals in the earth. Each type of mineral forming a crystal has its own unique healing properties. Lauren Haynes, the Curator of Contemporary Art at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, in Bentonville, Arkansas, in a chapter titled, Sacred and Transcendent, of Crystals in Art: Ancient to Today, Haynes describes the power possessed within crystals:
Viewing crystal as a substance with the power to help humans connect with the divine and transcend this mortal world, many cultures have long hailed crystal as a precious mineral with unique, mysterious, and even sacred qualities — one that conjures up the known and the unknown, the natural and the supernatural, the visible and the intangible.
Crystals contain intangible qualities, which cannot be explained, thus giving them magical properties. This adds to the mysterious powers of the unknown. Crystal Mount Realm possesses hand blown glass crystals and plexiglass crystal forms lit up with colored lights to represent a specific crystal in each of six alcoves. There is one real crystal located in a special location within each alcove to give special healing powers for the benefit of visitors.
The magical properties associated with the origins of crystals gave the religious or spiritual to use them to connect with another realm beyond human reach. The crystals became a conduit for connecting with the divine, making it a source to connect with the supernatural. Humans have long wanted to connect with other realms beyond what is within our reach. There were those who believed they could look into the future by gazing into a crystal ball. This act of gazing into a crystal ball was described as scrying. It relates to a rich history of understanding of the healing properties of the different minerals and elements from the earth. There is ancient knowledge passed from one generation to another connected to these precious minerals. This understanding is intangible because the origins of this knowledge is not completely known, and yet it has withstood the passage of time. What was once considered ancient wisdom is now able to be explained through science.
According to Revelation in the Bible, the city of New Jerusalem will be built upon a foundation of twelve distinct crystals demonstrating the glory of God. Joachim Pissarro, the Bershad Professor of Art History at Hunter College and the Director of the Hunter College Galleries and the City University of New York since 2007, writes about the sacred role of crystals in Revelation. Pissarro describes the connection between crystals and the divine:
Within early Christian iconography, crystal was thought to be fossilized ice, and to reveal the direct touch of God. In Revelation 21:11, it is said that the most divine parts of the New Jerusalem will be built of a crystal-like material: ‘It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.’
Understanding how those in ancient times viewed crystals, helps us understand the origins of these beliefs. At that time, Christians could not understand how minerals in the earth solidified to form crystals, which was explained, at the time, as God’s magic shared with humans. They believed that by connecting to the crystals, they were able to connect with the creation of God. In their mind, this gave the crystals supernatural powers. Crystals signal the clarity, purity and perfection of God. This passage quotes Revelation (21:11), in the New International Version of the Bible. In the King James Version of the Bible, Revelation (21:11), it is written, “Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.” New Jerusalem is a city descending from heaven onto Earth where those of faith would live for all eternity. New Jerusalem would be the capital of the New Earth, and it would come into existence once the tribulations and the final battle has ended. There will be destruction for the purpose of rebirth. In the Book of Revelation, it is described how the New Jerusalem would appear as a city (21:16-17); “And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.” It goes on to describe the twelve foundations of the wall of the city being built of the twelve gemstones: jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, emerald, sardonyx, sardius, chrysolyte, beryl, topaz, chrysoprasus, jacinth, and amethyst. This description from Revelation is far more complex and intricate than what Pissarro depicts in his short quote. The meaning of Jerusalem is from the Hebrew, Yerushalayim, meaning “foundation of peace.” The ancient text is referring to what is yet to come. The crystals have deep meaning for so many, not isolated in the past, but what will be. Crystal Mount Realm reflects six of the twelve crystals of the foundation of New Jerusalem. Each of the six alcoves will represent the crystals: jasper, sapphire, amethyst, emerald, sardonyx, and beryl. Crystal Mount Realm resembles what the New Jerusalem will be; a safe, beautiful haven for all people to be loved through divine intervention.
Trees
Trees play an important role in Crystal Mount Realm; they represent the Trees of Life in the New Jerusalem of the Book of Revelation in the Bible. According to the Bible, God dictated the Book of Revelation to John. John writes describing the function and role of the trees in New Jerusalem. New Jerusalem is an overarching theme, and yet there is much to be said about tree family systems and how they communicate with one another. Peter Wohlleben writes, in The Hidden Life of Trees, about the ways humans are able to understand the rich, complex and profound ways trees live their interconnected lives. The meaning of the trees and how they communicate within Crystal Mount Realm offer an opportunity for deeper understanding and insight.
In Revelation (22:2), John describes how the celestial city of New Jerusalem will look. The trees line both sides of the River of Life flowing out of the throne of God. He goes on to say:
In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
Crystal Mount Realm does not have trees lining the banks of a river. The trees are a representation of the ones on both sides of the river of life. Each tree in Crystal Mount Realm represents six of the twelve tribes of Israel, even though that is not how it was represented in the Bible. In the Bible, depending on the version, there is either one massive tree that straddles both sides of the river, or there is a line of trees on each side of the River of Life. Instead, the Crystal Mount Realm trees represent six of the twelve gemstones comprising the layers of the foundation of New Jerusalem, which also relates to six of the twelve tribes of Israel. The six tribes included in Crystal Mount Realm are: Benjamin (jasper); Issachar (sapphire); Asher (amethyst); Judah (emerald); Joseph (sardonyx); Manassah (beryl). Crystal Mount Habitat takes artistic interpretation of John’s writing.
Trees live in family systems, which allows them to communicate with one another through an underground root system with the help of fungi. The fungi act as a fiber optic system. In Crystal Mount Realm, the underground root system is only metaphorical. One of the trees does have White Bracket Shelf fungi growing on it, which does give an idea of the fungi playing a role in this habitat created by Crystal Mount Realm. The author of The Hidden Life of Trees, Peter Wohlleben, writes about the importance of this fiber optic root network helping the family system of trees to survive and thrive:
Fungi operate like fiber-optic internet cables. Their thin fungal filaments penetrate the ground weaving through it in almost unbelievable density. Over centuries, a single fungus can cover many square miles and network an entire forest.
This helps us understand how trees communicate with one another, which leads us to understand what they are communicating. As humans, we are able to learn so much from the compassionate and loving ways trees communicate with one another. Wohlleben describes the importance of all members of the family system of trees:
Every tree, therefore, is valuable to the community and worth keeping around for as long as possible. And that is why even sick individuals are supported and nourished until they recover.
It is important to understand that even though the trees in Crystal Mount Realm are separated by alcoves, the trees are still providing love and care through the metaphorical root system underground for one another. This important part of tree 7 is conveyed through Crystal Mount Realm.
There is an intersection of knowledge connecting John of The Book of Revelation with Peter Wohlleben, which informs Crystal Mount Realm. The trees representing the tribes of Israel helps us understand the interconnectedness of the tribes of Israel, as well as, the interconnectedness of the trees. In the instance of the tribe of Benjamin, which was almost completely wiped out by another tribe, some of the other tribes of Israel stepped in and helped. The tribe of Benjamin was restored by providing young brides from other tribes to marry young grooms of Benjamin. Even though John from The Bible describes the trees lining the River of Life, the root system of the trees extends under the river connecting all of the trees in perpetual communication.
Crystal Mount Realm brings the concept of New Jerusalem to life and reality. There are so many layers and facets to Crystal Mount Realm for which viewers are able to enjoy and relate. There is a deeper message to receive about New Jerusalem and the trees that live in this glorious city. The message is of hope for a better world to come where people are respected and cared for despite their differences. Sickness and sadness does not exist. Everybody is welcomed, valued and nourished.
Annotated Bibliography
Adcock, Craig E. James Turrell : The Art of Light and Space. University of California Press, 1990.
Baudrillard, Jean. Simulacra and Simulation. University of Michigan Press, 1994.
Bunyan, John, and Harold Myra. The Pilgrim’s Progress: Experience the Spiritual Classic through 40 Days of Daily Devotion. Discovery House, 2018.
Carus, Paul, 1852-1919. The Oracle of Yahveh; Urim and Thummim, the Ephod, the Breastplate of Judgment. Chicago, The Open court publishing company; London, K. Paul, Trench, Trübner & co., ltd., 1911.
*Haynes, Lauren and Joachim Pissarro. Crystals in Art: Ancient to Today. The University of Arkansas Press, 2019.
Haynes and Pissarro were co-curators for an exhibit on “Crystals in Art: Ancient to Today” (October 12, 2019 – January 6, 2020) at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. Haynes and Pissarro show how artists have used the crystals as a medium for their properties and qualities.
This book was very important for me in discussing the spiritual history related to crystals, the nature of crystals, and the biblical history of crystals, and what they represented to believers for millennia. There is something magical about the spiritual nature of crystals.
*The Holy Bible, King James Version. Philadelphia: The John C. Winston Co., 1919.
The specific part of The King James Bible referring to New Jerusalem is found in the Book of Revelation (21:10 – 27) and (22:1 – 2). It describes in broad detail the Celestial City including the trees with their fruits and leaves, the crystals, the mount, and the Celestial City.
The Book of Revelation (21:10 – 27) is central to my thesis, and what I am basing Central Mount Realm upon. The source for my representation of the Celestial City comes from this passage in the Book of Revelation. There is visual language describing the trees, the foundation gemstones, and the city.
*Kosky, Jeffrey L.. Arts of Wonder : Enchanting Secularity – Walter De Maria, Diller + Scofidio, James Turrell, Andy Goldsworthy, University of Chicago Press, 2012. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/massart/detail.action?docID=1025964
Jeffrey Kosky, Professor of Religion at Washington and Lee University writes about Turrell’s use of light. His understanding of Turrell brings a more profound perspective with an enlightened view of the light within each of us. Light being the source to evoke enlightenment and introspection.
Kosky’s discussion of Turrell’s work was profound, and it introduced me to a more spiritual interpretation of Turrell’s use of light and its meaning. In the midst of researching Turrell, Kosky became an interlocutor. Light is a fascinating spiritual element.
Kosky, Jeffrey L. “Contemplative Recovery: The Artwork of James Turrell.” Cross Currents, vol. 63, no. 1, 1 Mar. 2013, p. 44.
*McFadden, David Revere, and Martina D’Alton. Otherworldly: Optical Delusions and Small Realities. San Rafael, CA: Channel Photographics, 2011.
David McFadden is the Chief Curator of the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City. The book shows an exhibit, “Otherworldly: Optical Delusions and Small Realities” (June 7, 2011 – September 18, 2011) at the museum utilizing photography to create an illusion of full-scale installations of fictional environments. The works were created by thirty-seven sculptors, painters, photographers and videographers.
This book was referred to me by Judy Haberl in order to look at how artists represent worlds on a small scale. It is inspirational for my Crystal Mount Realm model, which will be on display during the summer 2022 thesis show.
Nihan, Christophe and Rhyder, Julia. “Aaron’s Vestments in Exodus 28 and Priestly Leadership”. Debating Authority: Concepts of Leadership in the Pentateuch and the Former Prophets, edited by Katharina Pyschny and Sarah Schulz, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2018, pp. 45-67. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110543391-004
Ramer, Jon, and Ron Miller, eds. The Beauty of Space Art the Beauty of Space Art: An Illustrated Journey through the Cosmos. 2nd ed. Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature, 2020.
Švestka, Jiří, et al. James Turrell : Perceptual Cells. Edition Cantz, 1992.
Tuchman, Maurice, et al. The Spiritual in Art : Abstract Painting 1890-1985. Abbeville Press, 1986.
Turrell, James, et al. James Turrell : Spirit and Light. Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, Texas, 1998.
*Wohlleben, Peter, and Jane Billinghurst. The Hidden Life of Trees: The Illustrated Edition. David Suzuki Institute, 2018.
Peter Wohlleben, a German Forester of more than twenty years, writes about the mysterious and complex family systems of trees. Wohlleben delves into the seen and unseen world of how trees communicate with one another and the ensuing care the trees implement for one another. Wohlleben writes about the fungi as a fiber-optic network, the complex relationship the trees have, and how the trees work cooperatively to survive and to perpetuate life for their entire family system.
This book gave me visual examples of the topics discussed in Wohlleben’s other book, The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate: Discoveries from a Secret World. The photographs bring the book to life, and it brings me to a deeper level of understanding of what Wohlleben sees.
Wohlleben, Peter, et al. The Hidden Life of Trees : What They Feel, How They Communicate : Discoveries from a Secret World. David Suzuki Institute, 2016.