Monstrance
Monstrance ©2007 David Keating - welded auto parts (brake drum, clutch plate, U-joint yoke, transmission gears).
My friend Derek, a race car driver and artist, took down a clutch plate and brake drum from his garage wall one day and handed them to me. “Here, I’ve always thought these were beautiful. I was going to make art out of them, but I never get around to it. Maybe you’ll know how to use them.”
On the spot, my brain fairly screamed “MONSTRANCE.” Cognate with the word demonstrate, ‘to show clearly’, a monstrance is a vessel used in the Catholic rite to display the consecrated communion host for veneration. A traditional monstrance might be made of gold, silver and crystal, but Derek’s rusty car parts suggested something more down-to-earth—like a babe in a manger.
Another friend urged me to add the customary glass enclosure at the center aperture, but I resisted, holding out for the belief that God is everywhere - never contained, only focused.
My friend Derek died in a race car crash before I could show him the finished piece, but I offer it up in tribute to his passion.