Lighting, tech culture and worship

I've written before about liturgy and candles from the perspective of considering candles as technological artefacts and observing their base function of providing light to read by in largely dark buildings for men who have begun to suffer from presbyopia and are using manuscripts. The next move is to consider the further meaning-making that takes place once the necessary uses of candles are in use for things like gospel processions or prayers over bread and wine.

The next thing, then, is to consider the kinds of potential observations like those in this article offer, LEDs Have Evolved to Be More Than Just Lighting: 

LEDs are so efficient that there probably is an overall saving, but that lighting is no longer just for illumination—"lighting has become so cheap that it has turned into a bauble, into decoration." It was pointed out to me that lighting has always served a decorative function as well as a utilitarian one—that's why we got crystal chandeliers and mood lighting. Now we see that mood lighting has evolved with the technology.

Of course there wouldn't be an instant replacement. The inertia of expectation, habit and indeed post-hoc rationalisation around using wax candles would need somewhat conscious experimentation and good aesthetic practices being imitated.

So we might begin to imagine LED lights being used liturgically. Sometimes in place of candles, maybe sometimes with new usages made possible by the affordances of LEDS -good light with little heat is probably chief among those affordances allowing for manipulation without harm or danger of starting fires. The can be run from batteries in many cases, so there is a portability about them.

It is worth reading through the article cited and quoted above for a quick opening reflection on the way that these affordances can begin to be developed. Ask yourself what kinds of ceremony or ritual become possible using some of the ideas there.

And, of course (as the article mentions), there are also effects from programmable variations in colours, rhythm etc. It's also worth recalling that switches can also be controlled remotely -our cathedral has some LED candles which have a remote control unit (you have to be within about a two metre radius to operate it).

So what kinds of ideas could we generate?

How about a patten and chalice with some lighting built in or put on? Especially if they were actually glass. They could be lit with the taking of bread and wine in the preparation for the Eucharistic prayer or at the completion as they are taken from table to distribution. This would obviously be more effective in a darker milieu.

I have a portable reading light which is built into a flexible tube to go around the neck. It's easy to imagine using this or something like it for gospel readings in a more catholic style or to help keep things relatively dark in things like the kindling of Easter fire rituals.

Speaking of which  -how about using mobile phones and/or manual LEDs for passing on the light during such liturgies?

I know that some would object on the basis of the romance and tradition of candles. I get that. In a way I agree in a positive assessment of the aesthetic. However, we can develop and experiment with different aesthetics and over time begin to develop the traditions or evolve new ones.