60 × 40 cm

acrylic on panel

Sainte Marie de La Tourette is a Dominican Order priory, located on a hillside near Lyon, France, designed by the architect Le Corbusier, the architect’s final building completed in 1961.

Late 2018 I traveled to the monastery where I stayed overnight in one of the hundred ‘cells’ where back in the days monks in training used to live. I was received very hospitable by the friars and as a guest I was allowed to wander around almost the entire building, attend the services in the small chapel and the church and have shared meals in the large eating room together with other guests from different countries.

During the service I noticed the minimalist layout brings a meditative atmosphere whereas the painted light sluices make for a colourful contrast in the dark surroundings. For this series I used the extraordinary light operation of the painted light sluices as starting point.