St James – the Icon

The icon was designed and fabricated in 2015 to be carried in The Way to St James procession through Cygnet at the end of the Pilgrimage.
 
The object design incorporates traditional and contemporary ideas and approaches. The minimal form and digital translation of the image, in combination, convey a relationship to the past and the future. 
 
The copper material enables the object's surface to be activated by movement, sun and artificial light.
 
Copper also references the legacy of crafted ‘preciousness’ often attributed to objects of religious significance within the Christian context.
 
The icon can easily be constructed (and deconstructed) for processing. When not being carried by Pilgrims it is displayed in the church dedicated to St James, at Cygnet.
 
Designed by John Vella - artist and Head of Discipline (Art), School of Creative Arts with assistance from Sarah Owen - Sarah Owen Design.

Fabrication and technical support provided by Dr Phillip Blacklow and Stuart Houghton.
The designer would like to acknowledge the support of the School of Creative Arts (SOCA) University of Tasmania.