Good Friday means it’s time for the annual Walk of Witness in Scarborough.
Organised by Churches Together In Scarborough, the Walk of Witness is part parade, part re-telling of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Representatives and members from local churches of all denominations meet at the top of town and begin the story with a dramatisation of Christ being arrested. The cross is then carried into the town centre for the crucifixion and then all the way up to Scarborough Castle for a sermon.
While shooting it was hard not to notice a duality to the event. The shots in town have quite a jarring juxtaposition between the boarded-up shopfronts and the pubs and bookmakers as a solemn religious procession passes by. It would be easy to play these moments for laughs but, as one of the organisers pointed out to us, they feel it is important to see the story of Christ in a modern setting. Jesus would have been paraded through a town with many of the same types of shops. The second half of the Walk of Witness takes on a more spiritual vibe as we leave the commercialised town centre and head up to the castle, the ancient roots of our town.
I must admit, I’m not a religious person yet I certainly enjoyed following along. We’ve made it a bit of a personal project to document the people and events in our hometown. I’m not quite sure where it will lead us, but I love the journey.
