"Gravity and Light," Mario Botta

Note a book in Art Library called "Gravity and Light" by Botta is a great resource. Excerpts from an article on New Sacred Space includes quotes by Botta. Botta suggests that sacred space can occur in buildings that are not churches- such as his museums- so how does he envision SFMOMA sacred? You can read his thoughts on that at: http://www.ArchitectureWeek.com/2007/0509/culture_1-1.html

"In a society which is inattentive to the values of the spirit, there is instead a great need for spirituality," Botta says. "It's a strong but very personal need." He uses very little iconography in deference to the individuality of this need. Instead, he creates spaces conducive to contemplation and silence using light, geometric forms, and natural materials …

…according to Botta. "A new church is a place of sustenance, silence, and prayer which through its architecture reaffirms the authentic human values," he says. "It is a structure that goes beyond the religious meaning that generated it, in order to bear witness — for believers and nonbelievers alike — to a primary, ancestral, and profoundly human need."

… sacred spaces are often defined by common characteristics: 1) a portal or threshold symbolizing a passage into a separate world; 2) a path, perhaps meandering, perhaps labyrinthine, inviting exploration and discovery; and, 3) a destination or focal point

(Source: Debra Moffit, “New Sacred Space,”Architecture Week, May 2007.)

{certainly the restoration of the mind and the spirit is a key human need}

-Patti