With Questions - When We Know Nothing...

A gargoyle of sorts. A corbel carved into an ugly, twisted pug-nosed face. It looks like it has horns. Is it a devil? If so, what is it doing within the sacred space of a church? In this 'special' and highly symbolic space, nothing is for nothing; everything means something. Do we need to have prior knowledge in order to decipher this code, or can we decode it from its context?

I wonder how old it is? How would we date it? Perhaps we could look at some of the architectural features, such as the arch of which it is a part. Does its' age matter though; does this make a difference - and if so, then why?

And who, I wonder carved it? If I were to tell you that this was carved by Peter Blandon who was 47 years old when he carved this, some six hundred years ago; and that he died less than a year after this was completed, falling from some scaffolding just a few feet from where you stand - would this make you look again?

If, on the other hand, the stone has no provenance, and its' creator remains anonymous, is our engagement any the less. Our imagination is beginning to stretch, and we are 'seeing' beyond the facts and surfaces, into possibilities. However, It is still amazing to think about the actuality of the carved stone; that someone imagined this, and brought form to it, and that it has survived them for so long. Amazing too; all those countless eyes, of all those 'invisible' people who have looked up into the eyes looking down upon them. Who are the 'ghosts' who once responded to this presence, as we, in turn, respond to it now. And strange to think too that we - so real and now and matter of fact - are tomorrow's ghosts standing here. It is amazing, is it not, where wonder can lead you to...