Amanda Morris
Assistant News Editor
When art professor David Hooker first contacted Facilities Maintenance about accessing used vacuum bags, he was nervous about what kind of response he would receive. However, after explaining his need for the leftover vacuum debris, Facilities Management was immediately on board and ready to help supply him with the needed 11 bags.
Hooker is currently working on a piece titled “Corpus,” a creation consisting of a 5-foot-tall sculpture of the crucified body of Jesus covered in vacuum remains from multiple locations on the Wheaton campus.
The piece was conceptualized after Jeffrey Greenman, associate dean of biblical and theological studies, encouraged Hooker to consider making a piece about the death and resurrection of Jesus.
After an emotionally draining experience on a Lenten piece last year, Hooker said he was initially resistant to the idea. However, the two professors ultimately discussed Hooker’s proposal and agreed to begin the journey.
Hooker explained how the process of creating the piece began with brainstorming during the fall semester. A clearer proposal came together in January followed by a month of research, accessing materials, experimenting and making a maquette — a small practice piece.
Hooker’s use of dirt was not spontaneous.
“I have been interested in dirt for a while,” Hooker said in an email. “Living in the Wheaton suburbs, we seem to hate dirt. As a trained ceramic artist and an amateur gardener, I tend to see beauty in the dirt. There’s an interesting tension there: dirt as unclean, and death, but also dirt as nourishment and life.”
Hooker said that over the past few years his work has become more focused on finding beauty in “materials that are very humble and often overlooked and discarded. Materials that are not ‘artworthy.’”
Because of his interest in the history of the materials he uses, Hooker looks at the relationship between objects and memory as well as the relationship between the sacred and the mundane. Hooker explained that his motivation for making works is typically related to an exploration of the materials being used, which is done through a process that allows him time to contemplate and develop a more personal relationship with the materials, form and space of the sculpture.
When seeking a corpus to use, Hooker searched with a few guidelines in mind. First, he wanted to find an antique corpus that had been used in worship before.
“I wanted that history connected to the piece, so it wouldn’t just be about Wheaton College, but how we, as a community, are part of the larger community of believers,” Hooker said.
During his research, Hooker found hundreds to thousands of variations of corpora, each with a slightly different visual theology.
Hooker said, “I wanted one that balanced Christ’s humanity with his divinity. Also, I wanted one close to life-size. It’s going to hang low on a wall, so it shares the viewer’s space. It’s personal. If it was too small, it would feel more like a relic.”
Hooker spends about three hours on the piece each day, which is the time it takes to coat half of the piece in one layer of dust.
Hooker explained the process of adhering the dust.
“It will take about five layers before the piece will be complete. For each layer I apply the adhesive with a paint brush, then sprinkle dust on with a sifter. It has to dry overnight,” he said. “The next morning I have to knock off everything that hasn’t stuck with a dry brush then repeat. That’s the ‘ritual’ aspect of the piece.”
With this process, it will take about 10 days to cover the corpus.
Once the piece is on display, Hooker hopes to leave room in his art for viewers to make their own discoveries.
“There have been lots of small revelations for me along the way. One of the interesting things has been the ways in which I have felt the physicality of Jesus’ humanity while working on the piece,” Hooker said.
Hooker said that he has been moved mostly by working on the feet and the sides of the torso.
“There is something so vulnerable about those parts of the body, and how they are exposed. Hard to explain,” Hooker said. “Also, I see the piece as very hopeful. There is something really beautiful about the patina (layers of dust on the surface). Something hopeful in the affirmation that all creation is good and that we are miraculously grafted into Christ’s body.”
Reminded of 2 Corinthians 5:21 when beginning the piece, Hooker said that although people may see the piece as primarily about Jesus’ death, he sees it as more about Jesus’ resurrection.
Beginning on April 22, the piece will be available for viewing on the fifth floor of the Billy Graham Center along with other works by art professors Joel Sheesley and Greg Schreck.
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