United Presbyterian Church Albany Interior
This is the interior of the United Presbyterian Church in Albany, OR.
This is the interior of United Presbyterian Church in Albany, Oregon. The building is more than 100 years old, and today still houses an active congregation. (I didn’t plan to post two church VRs in a row, it just happened when working through unfinished pictures.)
UPCA’s building is also striking on the outside; many say that it evokes an old castle when they first see it. It’s quite a contrast from the beautiful, warm interior. The building is frequently used for concerts and other special events and, like many churches, can be rented out for things like weddings.
One of the most striking things about the building is the collection of beautiful stained glass windows. This is also one of the most difficult things to photograph. This picture was taken during a bright afternoon, so that light through some of the windows was direct and strong. This isn’t ideal for photography; I would have preferred a dimmer cloudy day. As it was, I had to use multiple exposures to get this picture, and could probably improve it with additional processing. Maybe I’ll try that and repost, but I’d still prefer to take it again some other day.
The larger windows display Biblical scenes, typical for stained glass windows in churches. They tell stories, adding value other than just providing light. For me though, there is an even deeper value by using them as metaphors to explore complex concepts, things that are difficult to understand through reason alone.
For example, the nature of consciousness is notoriously tricky to reason about, and is even sometimes called “the hard problem of consciousness”. Perhaps someday we’ll be able to explain it, but right now it is radically different than anything else in nature. Because of this, it may be helpful to explore it in different ways, and metaphors offer a possibility, perhaps like the way art helps us explore life in non-rational ways.
For example, using stained glass windows as metaphors can help us explore the relationship between our minds and physical brains.
This is perhaps a far cry from simple photography, but it gives pictures more meaning, like symbolism in art. Something else I need to learn more about.