Martin Firrell
A Kiss
2008
A Kiss
is a clear evocation of the Kiss of Judas or Betrayal of Christ by Judas Iscariot in the Garden of Gethsemane after the Last Supper.

Judas identifies Christ with a kiss, enabling the Roman authorities to arrest him: Luke 22:47-49: While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus asked him, 'Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?'

Matthew 26:48-50: Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: 'The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.' Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, 'Greetings, Rabbi!' and kissed him. Jesus replied, Do what you came for, friend.' Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him.

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 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.
Part Of
The Question Mark Inside
Medium
Projection
Displayed
St Paul's Cathedral London UK, 8 to 15 Nov 2008
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Residency
Public Artist in Residence
St Paul's Cathedral
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