The Pillar has been designed as a piece of interactive art for the New Wine Festival 2025 as an installation within the Awaken Prayer Tent. It is a collaboration between People Architects and Salt.
Holiness | Presence | Invitation
The Pillar explores God’s holiness and the invitation to his presence through Jesus.
God’s Presence – A representation of the Pillar of Cloud and Pillar of Fire.
God’s Invitation – An altar of coal from Isaiah’s vision foreshadows Jesus.
The Pillar is formed from a core of light with ethereal fabric wrapped in layers that shield the light. The layers of fabric allow subtle movement embracing both the permanent presence of God but also his living and active nature. During the day the Pillar will represent cloud, and at night fire.
Beneath the suspended Pillar is a large fire pit filled with coal. Surrounding this will be a ring of hay bales to form a humble context reflecting Jesus arrival in a stable.
A soundscape will create a sensory experience drawing on themes of holiness with sung prayers.
The installation explores God’s holiness, his presence with us and his invitation. It is intended as a place of discovery and of prayer.
Scripture
The Pillar draws on two key scriptural passages:
Exodus 13:21-22
21 By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.
Isaiah 6:1-8
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
The Pillar of Cloud and the Pillar of Fire draw on representations of God’s presence with the Israelite community.
Isaiah’s vision describes the holiness of God and marks the contrast of our sinful state. It is an act from God via the Seraphim that atones for our sins foreshadowing the sacrifice of Jesus.
Colossians 1:19-23a
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behaviour. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.
Soundscape
Interaction
The Pillar has been designed to draw people into a prayerful encounter with God. It is not intended for observation or as a performance piece, but to point people to Jesus and a place of discovery.
If you are reading this within the Awaken Venue, please put your phone down and draw near to encounter the living God in the present.
Contact
For expressions of further interest please contact:
Mike Worthington of People Architects
mike@peoplearchitects.co.uk
Credits
Designers
Mike Worthington, Steve Trevett and Tyler Youngs of People Architects
Michael Shorey and Andrew Besley of Highfield Church
Soundscape
Written & Produced by - Paul Worthington, Joe Draper & Duncan Kidd at Salt
Assistant Mixer - Georgie Balshen
Contributed vocals by Nicole Makarimayi, Nana Ofori-Asumadu, Nathaniel Makarimayi, Laura Cross, Joe Draper, Duncan Kidd, Paul Worthington, Will Johnson