Quo Vadis
When the Apostle Peter fled from Rome's ruthless persecution of Christians at Nero's command, he met a Man traveling towards Rome. When Peter asked famously asked "Quo Vadis?" meaning "Where are you going?" the Man, who was none other than Christ, responded that he was walking to Rome to be crucified for a second time. Peter, realizing that he had let fear overwhelm him, returned to Rome where he was crucified upside-down.
The structure Quo Vadis was erected when Father Michael Graham was inaugurated as the President of Xavier University. The following lines were read at its dedication:
The Artist's Vision Statement:
The sculpture, titled "Quo Vadis," is an 18-foot-tall, interactive, stainless steel structure. It is a giant scale, with moving arms and weights on which are inscribed words in five languages: English, Chinese, Arabic, Hebrew and Armenian. Viewer-participants are invited to choose from the set of weights, inscribed with words that describe universal values, and to place them in the pans of the scale.
Initially viewers have a choice of 12 values and are forced to think about each of them carefully and make a selection indicative of their priorities. In the process, they are forced to make choices about these values and to re-examine the relative importance they assign to them. What is more important: Memory? Knowledge? Justice? Wealth? Compassion? Faith? Hope? Love? Health? Beauty? Happiness? Fate? Then, if viewers decide to balance the scale, they have to tackle the issue of the combination of values; are, for example, "faith" and "compassion" in one tray equivalent to "faith" and "love?" Or are "memory" and "justice" comparable to "hope" and "knowledge"? It is entirely up to viewers to select, mix, to balance or leave unbalanced the values in any combination they wish. In the process viewers are faced with making choices that are reflective of their life values.
-Gagik Aroutiunian
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Quick Facts |
Gallery |
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Artist: Gagik Aroutiunian |
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Additional Notes:
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Plaque Inscription: Quo Vadis by Gagik Aroutiunian Commemorating the inauguration of Michael J. Graham, S.J. President of Xavier University 2001
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