From our guided tour at the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History, I really enjoyed our time and discussions within the Stave Church; I found all of the structures and buildings so intriguing and I felt they lived up to my expectations of historic Norwegian architecture which I am glad I got to see in person. Nonetheless, I found it interesting analyzing the interactions between religion, culture, architecture and the materials and methods to produce such a magnificent and beautiful structure. Of course this included utilizing the surrounding resources of trees to function as large, strong pillars driven into the ground and appropriate beams and carved arches to properly disperse the weight. Additionally, the front of the room was designed in such a way to amplify and project the clergy’s voice and being at a higher elevation; those two components are telling of the hierarchy imposed by the Catholic Church and signaling who is in charge, who has power, who should be listened too. Divisions were also evident with gender segregation of the congregation in addition to more higher status people standing near the front of the church. A final aspect I found intriguing was the blend of cultures with gorgeous paintings in the front stylistically, the paintings and carvings on the poles (with some older engravings in the runic script) and the change in symbolism/meaning of the carving outside of the church to better fit Christian narratives rather than more traditional belief systems. The entire museum provided a well rounded insight into the lives, communities, architecture, business, and arts of Norway and I greatly enjoyed my time there.
-Michael Beadle
I also found the acoustic design of the stave church to be quite fascinating. With our guide’s demonstration, I was really surprised at just how efficient the clergy section was at amplifying his vocals.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the adaptation to Christianity from pre-existing cultural symbols in Europe has always been something that fascinates me. The designs surrounding the entrance were especially intriguing in regards to how the church could draw parallels or replacements between their ideology and what has been the ‘norm’ for so long already.