TIME THORNS GOLD
2024
St. Paul's Church in Munich is the seat of the Art Pastoral Department, which cultivates and promotes dialogue with artists in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. Since 2010, St. Paul's has been experimenting with innovative solutions for a contemporary design of the Easter candle. Since 2019, the commission to design the Easter candle has been awarded directly to artists. The existing carved Easter candlestick by Ferdinand Filler must be incorporated into the design.
The tapering spiral formally evokes the passage of time in both a linear and cyclical sense...
Judith Egger designed the 2024 Easter candle for St. Paul in the form of an upward-tapering spiral. The artist, who comes from a family of scientists, explores the connections between life in an artistic way, thus extending the examination of reality into the realm of the inexpressible, the miraculous. The Easter candle she designed can be seen as an exploration of time and life. The tapering spiral formally evokes the passage of time in both a linear and cyclical sense, whereby people encounter similar themes and experiences again and again on different levels throughout their lives. The tapering spiral formally evokes the passage of time in both a linear and cyclical sense, whereby people encounter similar themes and experiences repeatedly at different levels throughout their lives.
While researching the design of the candle, the artist came across the medieval “candle clock,” also known as the “hour candle.” This candle, developed primarily for prayer times in monasteries, indicated the passing of time by the burning material. In addition to a scale for reading the elapsed time, metal pins with weights or bells were often inserted into the candle. When the candle had burned down to this object, the metal object fell down onto a metal plate and made a loud noise. This allowed the passing of time to be perceived acoustically as well. As in other works, the artist uses the idea of the candle clock to convey essential aspects of life in a very sensual way: Judith Egger works small gold nuggets and thorns into a standard Easter candle that she has carved and extended at the bottom with the wax removed from the top. As the candle burns down, the thorns and gold nuggets gradually fall out of the wax. They are caught by a metal plate integrated into the candlestick, causing a soft, metallic “ping.” With a little luck, you can hear this if you listen closely. The arrangement is random and the timing of the fall cannot be predicted exactly. This process can be interpreted symbolically: thorny and golden experiences alternate throughout life, and it is impossible to predict exactly when a golden moment will come and when a thorny one will follow.
“Everything has its hour. For every event under heaven there is a specific time: a time to cry and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1,4)
This progression of life is vividly illuminated by the light of a burning candle that consumes itself. The crown of thorns and stigmata are images of Christ's suffering, with stigmata arranged in the shape of a cross found on classically designed Easter candles. Gold is also an ancient symbol of the divine light that transforms the world. The transformation of life in the resurrection of Jesus Christ is at the heart of the Christian celebration of Easter, for which the Easter candle is a symbol.
... whereby people encounter similar themes and experiences again and again at different levels throughout their lives.
As the candle burns down, the thorns and gold nuggets gradually fall out of the wax. They are caught by a metal plate integrated into the candlestick, causing a soft, metallic “ping.” With a little luck, you can hear this if you listen closely.
