Due to the closure of our doors because of COVID-19 and the restoration of the tower, we realised that the exterior of the church is the only place where people can still see something new and something old. We therefore asked Berlin-based artist Dennis Rudolph to create a new work for the outside of the church tower – The 5 Minute Apocalypse – as a comforting image that melds our online and offline worlds for a few minutes. The painting on the tower comes to life via your phone or tablet.
View the augmented reality artwork The 5 Minute Apocalypse by Dennis Rudolph.
The 5 minute Apocalypse Inspired by the fact that the church tower is publicly owned although part of a religious building, Rudolph makes a connection in The 5 Minute Apocalypse with the Christian background of the European flag. The story of John’s revelations from the New Testament served as the starting point for the design; a circle of stars. Both are about the meeting of religion and politics. A vision mirrors for Rudolph the fact of virtual reality, only you can see it, it is not ‘real’, but the image appears in reality. Virtual reality avant la lettre.
In his work, Rudolph brings together tradition and innovation by mixing a classic genre such as painting with new media such as virtual and so-called ‘augmented’ reality. The images are not literal additions to reality, but enter into a relationship.
