How to “enjoy” the latest tidings of “immersive experiences” in the news?
Take, for example, the gory Christmas season premiere of Gladiator II, not to mention the reopening of Roman gladiator tutorials and theatricals at the Colosseum itself. Across the Tiber, Vatican center Square has been converted into a large birdbath with its exotic floating styrofoam Nativity exhibit. Nearby at Paul VI Hall, decorators have made a mockery of the angels who had told Bethlehem shepherds of “the child wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” The tradition of white linen swaddling goes back to King Solomon, builder of 1st Temple of Jerusalem in 10th century BC, and remained symbols of faithfulness, purity, and annointing. However, the Francischurch Christchild is wrapped in a Keffiyah, scarf of Palestinian solidarity, a banner of cultural identity going all the way back to their Biblical Philistine counterparts, i.e. an abiding hatred of Israel since the days of David (father of Solomon).
“The reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral on Saturday evening in Paris was in many ways a symbol of the antagonisms of our times that are full of error and confusion…” writes LifeSite’s Jeanne Smit. Yes, while the cathedral was bathed in lights and newly restored beauty, the voices of choir youth soaring over the venerable old organ and bells, yet the “immersive experience” somehow was lacking in joy. It was pouring rain, very cold and windy. Before “the grand opening,” a seemingly endless conveyor belt of windblown royalty and dampened politicians photo-opped with Mr. and Mrs. Macron, both dressed in funereal black. The cathedral looked merely like their backstage prop. No sign of Francis however; where was he this time,Tonga, Tahiti, Timbuktu?
But really, House of Dior took center stage, many of the ladies’ showing off their designer suits and “Lady Dior” handbags (Mrs. Macron’s cost a mere $6500). No fashion slouch himself, Paris Archbishop Ulrich sported a show-stopping “Mondriana Manifesto” chasuble. In the 1930’s and 40’s, Mondrian’s famous paintings featured bold geometric rectangles of primary colors: red, blue, green, yellow. Yves Saint Laurent paid tribute to Mondrian by designing coats, cocktail dresses, and even costumes for the ballet “Notre Dame de Paris” in 1965: “The search for visual stability and harmony with the absence of symmetry conveys a theosophical approach whereby the divine principle is displayed through duality between the horizontal and the vertical, transcending that of the feminine/masculine and the material/spiritual.”
How to “enjoy” the latest tidings of “immersive experiences” in the news?
Take, for example, the gory Christmas season premiere of Gladiator II, not to mention the reopening of Roman gladiator tutorials and theatricals at the Colosseum itself. Across the Tiber, Vatican center Square has been converted into a large birdbath with its exotic floating styrofoam Nativity exhibit. Nearby at Paul VI Hall, decorators have made a mockery of the angels who had told Bethlehem shepherds of “the child wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” The tradition of white linen swaddling goes back to King Solomon, builder of 1st Temple of Jerusalem in 10th century BC, and remained symbols of faithfulness, purity, and annointing. However, the Francischurch Christchild is wrapped in a Keffiyah, scarf of Palestinian solidarity, a banner of cultural identity going all the way back to their Biblical Philistine counterparts, i.e. an abiding hatred of Israel since the days of David (father of Solomon).
“The reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral on Saturday evening in Paris was in many ways a symbol of the antagonisms of our times that are full of error and confusion…” writes LifeSite’s Jeanne Smit. Yes, while the cathedral was bathed in lights and newly restored beauty, the voices of choir youth soaring over the venerable old organ and bells, yet the “immersive experience” somehow was lacking in joy. It was pouring rain, very cold and windy. Before “the grand opening,” a seemingly endless conveyor belt of windblown royalty and dampened politicians photo-opped with Mr. and Mrs. Macron, both dressed in funereal black. The cathedral looked merely like their backstage prop. No sign of Francis however; where was he this time,Tonga, Tahiti, Timbuktu?
But really, House of Dior took center stage, many of the ladies’ showing off their designer suits and “Lady Dior” handbags (Mrs. Macron’s cost a mere $6500). No fashion slouch himself, Paris Archbishop Ulrich sported a show-stopping “Mondriana Manifesto” chasuble. In the 1930’s and 40’s, Mondrian’s famous paintings featured bold geometric rectangles of primary colors: red, blue, green, yellow. Yves Saint Laurent paid tribute to Mondrian by designing coats, cocktail dresses, and even costumes for the ballet “Notre Dame de Paris” in 1965: “The search for visual stability and harmony with the absence of symmetry conveys a theosophical approach whereby the divine principle is displayed through duality between the horizontal and the vertical, transcending that of the feminine/masculine and the material/spiritual.”
Ah yes, “immerse” and “feel the joy.”