by Joan Ishibashi
The group with Lisa Isherwood and Megan Clay
On 16 September, seven of us from the Journeying Together group met at Waterloo station for a day trip to the University of Winchester to meet Professor Lisa Isherwood, Director of the Institute for Theological Partnerships and artist theologian Megan Clay, Ph.D. They are partners in the development of the Cosmic Walk at the University.
We walked past student housing and came upon a quiet area where a beautiful garden greeted us. The Cosmic Walk was developed by a multi-disciplinary team at the University of Winchester, including Lisa as theologian and Megan as the artist for the garden which is the focus of the walk. Lisa shared with us the theological vision she had for the Cosmic Walk.
She said academics spend time in ivory towers and classrooms reading and conversing about theological and spiritual concepts concerning the cosmos and our place in it. This garden is a way to have the conversation through other means. We leave the classroom and mindfully walk through a garden, feel the ground beneath our feet and have elements of the cosmos depicted before our eyes.
Megan gave us a tour. She developed the artwork for the garden as part of her Ph.D. dissertation. In an interview with Lisa, she said her inspiration for the garden was to depict “deep knowing and relationality, a power that is the full force of nature, tectonic plates shifting, galaxies colliding, stars exploding and new planets being created, it is what makes us know we are alive and what frightens us the most about being alive!” When you walk the garden, this is precisely what you encounter.
When we entered through the archway, we saw beautiful trees and plants. Megan created large, vibrant murals along the walk, depicting stages of the birthing of the cosmos beginning with Tohu Vabohu, the primordial chaos. Walking through the garden we encountered creatures made of bicycle parts, an asymmetrical labyrinth, carvings made of tree stumps. It is difficult to describe in words, as the garden is a narrative that calls upon different senses.
The Cosmic Walk is a work in progress. It is a godding project, reclaiming the female narrative, concern for the environment, justice for the marginalized, relationality rather than stasis. The Cosmic Walk is for everyone, not just scholars stuck in ivory towers.
We look forward to more interactions with Lisa through Theological Partnerships. The Walk was provocative; it was fun; it raised more questions than answers.
Many thanks to David Carter for connecting us with the Institute for Theological Partnerships and for planning all the details of our Winchester excursion. Spending time with Lisa and Megan made for a truly blessed day.
