refractions: a journey of faith, art, and culture by Makoto Fujimura

A book of essays written between 2004 and 2007 by NYC-based artist Fujimura, with a foreword by Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian in Manhattan, Refractions is a lovely book, both in content and appearance. It it richly illustrated with art and photographs, some by the author, mostly by others. Most were written for magazines like Christianity Today.

Fujimura explores the reasons we make art and where faith, art and culture collide. He lived near the World Trade Center buildings when they fell, and many of his essays reflect his reactions and evolving thinking on the events of 9/11/2001. (One of my favorites was his encounter with the architect of the new WTC complex, a chance meeting in a voting precinct.) In contrast to the hate-driven "art" of the attack on the WTC, Fujimura posits the peace-creating power of art.

Fujimura goes outside the boundaries of the fine arts and brings in conversation on urban design, and film, to name just two examples. His essay on Jane Jacobs' stand against the suburbanist Robert Moses is a great lesson in standing for an idea.

His own artistic output consists of abstracts using precious metals applied in ways that refract light. In one essay he visits the site of an installation several years later to see how it has matured. The title is interesting: it could be "reflections" on the topics at hand, but instead he calls them "refractions," which suggests not a rote replica but an interpretation of the  people, art, events, and aspects of culture in view.

A lot of the artistic commentary is challenging to me because it's not the way I normally think. Reading it reminded me of hearing songwriters describing their processes--it is so "wholly other" from my experience that I have a hard time getting in their heads.

I finished it on 2/11/12. Alyssa gave me this for Christmas (thanks again if you read this, Lyss!) and I'll be hanging onto it.