Performance as Translation.

The Representation of the Sacred in the “Sagrada Familia” (Barcelona) by the Interaction of Architecture, Visual Arts and Liturgy

Abstract

An instructive perspective of translatology is that of examining trans­lation as performance. Here, key questions are for what purpose a trans­la­tion is made and how it was prepared for that purpose. Regarding method, how­ever, it would be an original move if one looked at the performance it­self in its translational dimension. Following such a perspective, this essay examines how performative actions can translate the transcendent or in­vis­i­ble ‘sacred’ into an aesthetic experience. The authors explain their approach by looking at a significant event, the dedication of the church of the Sagrada Fa­milia in Barcelona (2010) together with the homily of Pope Benedict XVI. The main reason for that choice is that the liturgy is not only an issue of theological reflection, since it also allows one to examine translational pro­cess­es in a polysemiotic-performative way. Indeed, in the liturgy the rite, text lan­guage, art and architecture work together harmoniously into an in­te­gra­tive action that can shape the aesthetic experience of the “sacred”. As a trans­dis­ciplinary study, this essay seeks to provide further perspectives for future research in many areas of the humanities.