2B —Thursday, November 9, 2017
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
COURTESY OF KYLE PRUE
Intersections of art and religion can be seen across campus and students
“I find the best places that
I can focus, and that I can
worship, are places that have
art or have artistic qualities. I
don’t pray well in a little white
box in a reflection room because
it’s not really soothing.”
For Public Health student
Nuha
Mahmood,
art
and
religion are intertwined. The
addition of art in places of
worship amplifies her prayer.
“I’ll be really focused and
really into it if I’m at the
mosque that has calligraphy or
art on the walls,” she said.
It’s a sentiment that spans
across continents; the interior
of oldest mosque in the world,
the Masjid al-Haram (or the
Great Mosque of Mecca), has a
forest of white pillars, gleaming
marble arms that stretch up
endlessly, crowned by stretches
of calligraphy. The lines are
graceful and exact, and their
curves match the curved backs
of the people as they bend down
to pray. Their worship and the
detail of the surrounding art
reveal similar narratives: a
story of dedication and devoted
care.
Across all faiths, religion
and art have the potential to
be easily connected. There
already
exists
a
sprawling
history behind the portrayal
of religion in art: paintings
hung in the Vatican serving
as the visual icons to religious
stories and verses of the Qur’an
turning melodic in recitation;
on Lantau Island in Hong
Kong, Tian Tan Buddha blots
out parts of the sky; in Rio de
Janeiro, Christ the Redeemer’s
outstretched arms take flight
30 meters above Brazil.
Throughout the years, people
have consistently turned to art
as a platform for displaying
religion.
More
expressive
than
written
text,
art
makes
religion more personable. It
is, at times, a window into the
interpretation of the artist —
an invitation that is accessible
to all. The method in which
Diego Velázquez chose to paint
Christ Crucified, a solemn
figure with head lowered and
eyes closed, induces a state of
quiet contemplation no matter
the religious affiliation (or lack
thereof) of the viewer.
The relationship between
faith and art, however, is not
solely limited to oil paintings
and
frescoes.
Even
more
contemporary
aspects
of
artistic
performance
that
seem
to
stand
completely
independent of religion can
share common themes.
Both art and religion can
SHIMA SADAGHIYANI
Daily Arts Writer
‘I was raised in the church’
reconciling faith and craft
take time to develop. Both art
and religion can be used as
forms of self-expression.
Music, Theatre, and Dance
senior
Grace
Bydalek
has
always
considered
musical
theatre a large part of her life.
“I was probably six or seven
when I started,” she said. “I
started with A Christmas Carol.
And then I kinda got bit by that
bug and never went back.”
Paralleling her art is her
religion — an aspect of her life
that has been as long-lasting as
the musical theatre component.
“I was raised in the church,”
she said. “so I was raised
Presbyterian and Protestant.
So I went to church all growing
up with my family, it was a big
family thing. We would go on
Sundays and Wednesdays and
do the whole conformation
thing and do the whole Sunday
school and bible school and
vacation bible school and the
whole thing.”
Music, Theatre, and Dance
student Vincent Ford shared a
similar story.
“I’ve been working in the
industry professionally since I
was like six or seven,” he said.
“I started off doing vocal work
and a little modeling work and
then, as I got older, I went over
to the world of film and then I
became heavy in theatre.”
Like
Bydalek,
Ford
was
raised in a religious household,
spending time in church with
his family as well as under the
spotlight on stage or in front of
the camera.
“I’m a very southern man,
so I was raised up extremely,
strictly Christian,” For said. “I
grew up in a Baptist religion. I
come from a family of ministers
and clergymen so I know what
it is to be caught in religion.”
The
commonality
across
COURTESY OF KYLE PRUE
Paralleling her
art is her religion
— an aspect of
her life that has
been as long-
lasting as the
musical theatre
component
More expressive
than written text,
art makes religion
more personable
these distinct identities of art
and religion is community — a
concept Mahmood discussed
when detailing her experience
as a member of her high school’s
Indian Students Association.
Every year, Mahmood and the
rest of the organization would
put on a multicultural show,
and, during her last two years
of
high
school,
Mahmood
found herself filling the role of
choreographer. However, more
valuable than the actual dances
themselves was the resulting
interconnectedness throughout
the group as a whole.
“Just the skill of building
community
and
building
a
pseudo-family for a lot of these
kids that wouldn’t have found
comfort anywhere else,” she
said. “So, you get a lot of the
people who tend to be loners,
I felt like. They came and they
would find people to support
them there.”
A home built out of shared
interests
and
countless
rehearsals — the unity that
Mahmood discovered within
her cultural association is a
concept holds true for Bydalek
and Ford, as well.
However,
within
religion
and art, alongside cohesion,
there can also exist conflict.
“This
past
year,”
Ford
explained, “I was in show
called “Insurrection Holding
History…” and my character
was
a
slave
who
had
a
homosexual love interest… I
remember telling my parents
about it… [my father] wouldn’t
come to the show because it’s
just that far removed from our
religious beliefs.”
Contrasting
his
father’s
actions, Ford approached this
role with an open mind.
“The most important part
about most religions is that
we just are our best selves as
human beings and that we love
everyone equally,” Ford said.
“I told the whole cast and the
director as well that I grew
as a person because of this
production, because I was able
to see the light of God through
everyone.”
Bydalek
reconciles
the
occasional tension between her
religion and her passion in a
slightly different way.
“I think of all the characters
I’ve played as having important
stories,” she explained. “Stories
that were written for a reason.
Stories that need to be told for
a reason… it’s not necessarily
about me, it’s more about telling
a story.”
And the stories that Bydalek,
Ford and Mahmood share as
they continue to balance art and
religion have the capacity to
inspire others; the interactions
between
art
and
religion
prompt understanding: Ford’s
dad might have purposefully
skipped “Insurrection Holding
History,”
but
Ford’s
mom
came, watched and had a
life-changing
experience.
In religion, there is always a
capacity for growth.
There
is
also
always
a
capacity for art.
Mahmood’s
roommate
is
currently a member of the
organization, “Redefine.” She
pushes to re-introduce the
component of art in religion;
the significance it places on
the synergy between art and
religion is far-reaching.
COURTESY OF MICHIGAN GOSPEL CHORALE
The Michigan Gospel Chorale is a student-led organization
Faith by singing: religious
a cappella at the University
Organizations like the Michigan Gospel Chorale on campus
are dedicated to musical, religious and spiritual growth
I keep promising myself I’m
never going to start another
piece with “Senior year of high
school …” again, but, alas, here
we are. What can I say? It was
formative.
Senior year of high school,
during my wild, wild Spring
Break, I got a nasal septoplasty
— not a nose job, but basically
a nose job. I broke my nose in
2012, and for various reasons
(mostly my fear of pain and,
ironically,
painkillers),
I
decided to be a mouth-breather
for four years before getting it
fixed. The week following the
surgery, my doctor put me on
a lot of Vicodin. I mean, a lot.
I ended up spending my days
with
milkshakes,
watching
“Sing it On” (a docuseries
on
collegiate
a
cappella)
and
carefully
blotting
the
tragedy that was my face.
The experience birthed this
random,
niche
love
for
a
cappella in me, and when
I was presented with the
opportunity to speak with two
of the University of Michigan’s
groups, I couldn’t help but be
reminded of how charming the
art form is.
Engrained
within
their
respective faiths (Christianity
and Judaism), the Michigan
Gospel
Chorale
and
Kol
HaKavod
work
as
spaces
through which their members
can flourish in their beliefs
and musicianship.
“The
Michigan
Gospel
Chorale
is
a
student-led
organization with the mission
of
aiding
in
guaranteeing
the
recruitment,
retention
and spiritual growth of its
members,”
wrote
President
Ja’naysha
Hamilton,
Engineering senior, in an email
interview with The Daily. “Our
goal is for the organization
to act as a vehicle to promote
unity through programs that
encourage musical excellence,
spiritual
growth,
and
humanitarian development.”
Kol
HaKavod,
literally
meaning “all the honor” and
colloquially used to say, “Good
job,” is rooted in Judaism. The
coed unit of 11 undergraduates
was founded in 1993 and
rehearses weekly at Hillel.
“Being
in
KHK
is
one
of
my
most
important
and
meaningful
college
experiences,” wrote LSA senior
Hannah Bruder, music director
for KHK in an email interview
with The Daily. “It has given
me a community of friends
who are extremely diverse but
are similarly passionate about
music and singing.”
While KHK is a smaller
operation,
MGC
has
four
auxiliary groups in addition
to the Chorale, which began
in 1972. Hands Anointed ‘N’
Divine Signs is a sign language
ministry, Images of Praise
is a praise dance ministry,
The
Prophetic
Interpreters
a mime ministry and Taking
Refuge
Uttering
Spoken
Truths
is
a
spoken-word
ministry. These offshoots help
maintain MGC’s goal of being
inclusive of various identities
while remaining a Christian
organization.
Performing through gospel
songs and holding weekly Bible
studies (which are open to
anyone and everyone), MGC
members
deeply
integrate
their faith into every aspect of
what they do.
“My
favorite
part
of
performing together is when
that one person comes up to
us at the end (of a show) and
says that we really touched
them, or that they feel so much
more relieved and free after
hearing or seeing us perform,”
Hamilton wrote. “We do our
performances to spread God’s
Love, and when people come
up to us and say we did exactly
ARYA NAIDU
Daily Arts Writer
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Profiling devout students and their reflections on faith and art