The Holiness in the Ordinary is an ongoing video and sound project that explores humanity, the differences, and the common denominators between a diverse array of people. The title of the project comes from a phrase that I read in Kay Turner’s book, Beautiful Necessity: The Art and Meaning of Women’s Alters. Turner was discussing Hestia, the Greek goddess of domesticity and she refers to the view of feminist theologian, Christine Downing and her idea of “holiness of the ordinary.” This concept infers that one might not need to go further than their own home to find the holy or divine. For this project, I explore the idea that one might not need to go further than themselves to find the holy or divine.

Participants are asked to create a script using 100 statements that describe themselves starting with “I am.” The self-created script gives participants agency over who and what they want to show the viewer. Each person reveals the unique and often contradicting characteristics of their identity. For this installation, the statements of 18 participants are edited to create a conversation that examines the complexities of identity and the common denominators between people known and unknown to each other.

As the project progresses with additional participants, I hope to expand the installation to include additional channels and an immersive art experience.

Janine Brown

Janine Brown