Silence

In 2019, the monastic community of Pannonhalma places special emphasis on silence within the framework

of prayer and communal life. Inspired by this decision of the Benedictine community, the Archabbey of Pannonhalma

dedicates its 2019 cultural and spiritual season to silence.  Nikolett Erdős was invited to curate an exhibition on the theme

of Silence, in which I also participated.

Exhibiting artists: Sári Ember, Krisztián Kristóf, Bence György Pálinkás, Judit Flóra Schuller, Dominika Trapp

Curator: Nikolett Erdős

Over the course of six months, we visited the Archabbey regularly in order to become

familiar with the site and its monastic community. My contribution was based on personal conversations with the employees

of the Archabbey and with members of the monastic community.

Holding Embers

The Pannonhalma Archabbey is home to many silences. My work is centred on the sym-

bolic representation of underlying processes allowing for and maintaining these silences.

       What with the metamorphosis that takes place within its confines, the biomass power plant

adjacent to the lavender field, responsible for the major part of the abbey’s heating, has

become a metaphor of the abbey as an energy centre in my mind.

       I presented this symbolic interpretation to six conversation partners living and working at

the abbey, asking them to reflect on it and place their own activity within this vision. In the

course of the conversations, I shared with them a quote by Simone Weil – sentences I find

momentous:

“The beauty of the world is the mouth of a labyrinth. The unwary individual who on en-

tering takes a few steps is soon unable to find the opening. Worn out, (…) he will finally

arrive at the center of the labyrinth. And there God is waiting to eat him. Later he will

go out again, (…) he will stay near the entrance so that he can gently push all those who

come near into the opening.”

The exhibited paintings are imprints of these conversations, representing points within my

proposal that my conversation partners could most strongly relate to.

MY LETTER OF REQUEST:

Dear Madame/Sir!

I am writing to you upon Father Konrád Dejcsics’ suggestion. I am one of the artists par-

ticipating in the exhibition on the theme of Silence currently under preparation. In the fol-

lowing, I would briefly outline the concept of my work to be exhibited, regarding which I

would like to invite You to a personal conversation.

       On the model of medieval mystical art functioning in communities, I would like to

create an allegorical work involving monks, reflecting on tradition and the present alike.

The metaphor is centred on the Archabbey, home to many silences – the purpose of my

planned work is the allegorical representation of the underlying processes “maintaining”

these silences. Employing the extreme symbolism characteristic of mystical art, my main

inspiration for the work would be the biomass power plant providing 60% of the Archab-

bey’s heating.

       I perceive a transcendent symbolism in the transformation taking place at the power

plant. The biomass fuelling the furnaces is the agglomeration of selected organic materials,

which may be various plant clippings, but also energy crops grown specifically for this pur-

pose. On the one hand, as an alternative technology for energy production, it reflects on

the alternative habit and spirit of friarly existence within the church; on the other hand, it

evidently relates to the problem of sustainability, which arises with respect to the existence

of religious orders as well.

       I would like to ask my conversation partners to ponder over these questions with

regard to their own role and daily service in the life of the Archabbey, drawing on the

energy metaphor outlined above. I plan to depict the visions developed further throughout

the conversations in drawings/paintings based on the biomass power plant’s blueprints

and original visualizations. At the exhibition, a brief summary of the vision conceived in

collaboration with the respective conversation partner would be displayed beneath each

drawing/painting.

       I am free to visit Pannonhalma any day from next Wednesday (02/20); if you would

like to join me in thinking together, please notify me and we will find a date that suits both

of us.

Looking forward to your answer with best regards,

Dominika Trapp