Postcard from Oakland

I photographed this image back in May last year while cruising downtown Oakland for architectural masterpieces…something I love to do in big cities This image is from inside the Catholic Cathedral, appropriately named “The Cathedral of Christ the Light.” I titled this image, “A Not-So-Divine Mystery.”

Now I thought that was pretty clever on my part. But to explain, the Catholic Church has a term called “Divine Mysteries”…and according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “This term signifies in general that which is unknowable, or valuable knowledge that is kept secret.” That would be things like communion, where the host turns into the body of Christ…or Christ’s ascension into heaven. In other words, mysteries that cannot be explained in logical, scientific terms. (Apologies to any Catholics or Christians if I get this wrong)

But the not-so-divine mystery here is…what the heck is this thing I photographed? Well, I won’t hold you in suspense. This architectural oddity is above the the rear of the church, where one enters or exits. It appears to be convex on the inside, but outside it is concave. So directly behind this structure is downtown Oakland…and the diagonal lines you see is light coming through. I think it works well as a black and white photo.

Interestingly, there is an exact replica of this structure in the front of the church, over the altar. But this one has a very large projection of Christ that appears to be behind it. It is quite striking, to say the least.  

The slats you see coming into both sides of the structure are louvered slats that run the entire length of the church that can change the amount of light being fed inside. The entire structure is quite innovative and ingenious and I encourage you to make a visit if you are ever in Oakland. It is open every day for visits and tours…and non-Catholics are welcome. After all, they let me and my camera come in. 

(To see a larger version of this photo, just click on the image)

To see more of my work, both in photography and digital painting, please visit my website, www.corkrum.com.