Doubt plays an important role in Christian theological tradition. 'Doubting Thomas' is a compelling
figure in the Christ story.
John 20:25: 'Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.'
This fact made it possible for the artist to present audacious, self-questioning content like:
I Don't Think This Is What God Intended
.
The Question Mark Inside was commissioned by Dean and Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral as the first large-scale public artwork in the cathedral's history. It marked the 300th anniversary of the topping-out of Sir Christopher Wren's architectural masterpiece in 2008.
The work posed the simple question, 'What makes your life meaningful and purposeful?' and invited responses from the public during the anniversary year.
In addition, the artist investigated belief, non-belief and the politics of both positions in conversation with the clery at St Paul's, novelist Howard Jacobson, humanist philosopher A C Grayling and columnist Caitlin Moran.
The resulting texts, from the domestic to the sexual to the sublime, were projected onto the exterior of the cathedral dome, the West Front at Ludgate Hill, and the interior of the Whispering Gallery.
