A single candle stands, held aloft by a framework of industrial scaffolding. The sculpture, constructed from tubular metal trunks, juxtaposes the sacred and the profane, blending ecclesiastical candle votives with a raw, utilitarian structure sourced from a construction site. This work straddles the boundary between the liturgical and the industrial, conjuring the ambiance of the night Archbishop Makarios took residence in the palace, creating a moment of tension between tradition and change, authority and exile.

The combination of scaffolding and candle engages with the mystic symbolism of religious architecture, challenging the space's traditional role as a bastion of Orthodox Christian doctrine. By inserting an object of light and ritual within a structure of utility and temporality, Polyviou provokes questions about the construction of sacredness and the endurance of spiritual authority. The candle becomes more than an object; it is a ‘Symbol of Life,’ drawing from esoteric teachings and suggesting an energetic charge that resonates both within and beyond the architectural confines of the Church. The industrial scaffold, by contrast, is by design impermanent, hinting at the complex interplay between spiritual strength and worldly instability.
Situated within the broader context of Polyviou's exploration of the Church’s influence on Cyprus’s post-colonial identity, this work delves into the architectural and ideological structures that both unify and marginalize. It reflects on how the Cypriot Orthodox Church, with its profound political and social reach, often acts as a custodian of national identity, while simultaneously excluding other identities and voices, such as those of the queer community. The scaffold, therefore, not only physically supports the candle but also metaphorically challenges the rigid frameworks of national and spiritual authority, inviting a discourse on the accessibility, exclusion, and transformation of spaces.

By merging industrial materials with elements of liturgical practice, Polyviou’s work reveals the tension between past and present, sacred and secular, and stability and change. It considers architecture not just as a collection of physical structures, but as a network of social, spiritual, and political meanings as well as frameworks to examine how history, identity, and spirituality are constantly built and rebuilt.