Dear friends,
We have had a hectic and exciting week…. Liviu, the sculptor, flew in to Geneva last Friday, ahead of the sculpture itself which arrived on Monday.  We spent the whole day putting it up in the Parc des Bastions, and then Tuesday and Wednesday were spent laying the grass turf all around it, and preparing for the unveiling.  We worked rather slowly, as we had many interruptions from people stopping to ask what it was… we saw all kinds of expressions on people’s faces: amazement, surprise, bemusement, wonder, as well as puzzlement, disdain and indifference!  Liviu was in his element as he engaged in conversation with people.  He intends to remain here for the month of July, and will spend much of that time in the park, talking with people who stop to consider the sculpture.

The vernissage went well on Thursday; around 150 people were present, including the Romanian ambassador to Switzerland.  For the actual unveiling, we asked ten people who had been involved in the project to stand outside the circle next to each pillar and read out one of the Ten Commandments in their own language (including Greek, French, Romanian, German, English, Dutch, Norwegian, Hausa, and Swiss German).  As they did so, the cloth was pulled off the pillar, and one by one they went inside and sat down on the little seat cut into the column.  Speeches followed, the rain held off, all the food was eaten, and people chatted and reflected on the sculpture’s four-fold invitation: to relationship, to ethical reflection, to freedom and to hope (see HERE).

The media response has been reasonable; a positive article appeared in the Tribune de Geneve (the city’s largest newspaper); I was interviewed by local TV station LemanBleu, and gave a five minute presentation on the English speaking Radio74.  We hope some more media interviews will follow while Liviu is here.

For the rest of July the “invitation/decalogue” sculpture will stand in the central Parc des Bastions, before moving to the World Council of Churches for 6 weeks, and then on to the parish church in Plan-les-Ouates in the south of Geneva.  We’ll keep you informed of any developments as they take place.
Thank you for supporting this project in various ways; if you have not yet been to see the sculpture, I hope you will be able to come soon and explore its rich symbolism for yourself!

For the Patronage Committee,
Jonathan Tame