A Contemplative Poster Series by Johnny Kerr
Liturgy is a word we don't hear often in modernity, and almost never outside of its typical religious context. Derived from Latin, Greek, and French, it roughly translates to something like "the work of the people". Additional words—such as "public", "service", and "worship"—can also help to contextualize and express the rich nuances at the heart of liturgy.
The orthodox Christian calendar divides the year into themed liturgical seasons, much like our weather seasons. Familiarity and acceptance of these traditions vary greatly, depending on one's upbringing and denominational affiliations. While some might view these practices as rigid, perhaps even oppressive, others find them to be unifying and centering. Other communities and denominations have largely dispensed with or forgotten them altogether. Nevertheless, their impact on Western culture is undeniable as many in the non-religious mainstream continue, at least to some degree, observing the annual rhythms of Easter and (especially) Christmas.
Unfortunately, these traditions have at times been misunderstood and even abused by the church, its leaders, and parishioners. However, it would be a shame to, as the saying goes, "throw the baby out with the bathwater", as our modern society tends to do. While it is important to name and reject such abuses, I don't think it means we must also reject the traditions outright. I think these practices still hold much potential value for those who follow The Way of Jesus today—though only when engaged willingly and not enforced through dogmatic legalism.
Artists, as much as politicians and religious figures throughout history, have shared in the responsibility of stewarding culture in their day. This means, in part, that we play a role in voicing those aspects of culture that we want to reject, and those we desire to redeem. I hope that these posters, in some small way, put on display the richness these liturgical seasons still have to offer those who desire to cultivate a vibrant spiritual life.
Each poster was designed in vector format using Adobe Illustrator and is presented here as 11" x 17" archival prints. The overall design is largely inspired by the International Typographic Style (A.K.A. Swiss Style), particularly the grid system approach pioneered by Josef Müller-Brockmann in the first half of the 20th century.
I have a great appreciation for Swiss design in general, but I also chose it for this project because of the driving ethos behind the movement; it aimed, among other things, to create effective design standards suitable for a variety of cultural-linguistic contexts. You might say it was our first globally-minded information design movement. The principles of the grid system also serve to simplify and harmonize the presentation of text and imagery through clear visual hierarchy while avoiding symmetry for more dynamic composition arrangements.
Each liturgical season represented by my posters orients the practitioner around different aspects of the Gospel (the "good news" Jesus came to share with the world, according to the Christian tradition). For example, Advent teaches us about preparation and anticipation, while Easter teaches us about redemption, reconciliation, and freedom. Since Jesus charged his disciples with spreading this good news throughout the world, the international style principles made sense as a device to visually engage the subject matter across various spiritual traditions.
Other sources of visual inspiration included Henri Matisse's cutouts and the graphic works of Saul Bass and Paul Rand.
Each poster in the series also exhibits shared components from the broader liturgical tradition. For example, each includes a simple visual icon (visio) and a brief scripture passages (lectio). For the official holy days and periods of observance, I also included a short reflection in my own words that—when combined with the visual and scriptural components—hopefully illuminates the heart of the liturgy while inspiring reflection and contemplation throughout the season.
Periods of nonobservance in the liturgical calendar are typically referred to as "ordinary time." Rather than create a poster for ordinary time, I chose the practice commonly known as "passing the peace" to express the heart of the daily Christian life in every season. In this practice, followers of Jesus greet others with some variation of "peace be with you" to keep ourselves oriented around the loving, peacemaking posture of Jesus as we move through the world extending love and peace to others.
In the future, depending on inspiration and motivation, I may also expand this series to include other observances, such as Christmastide and Pentecost. For now, I thought it was time to put these out and see how others experience them. I welcome your feedback in the comments below.
Peace be with you!