Biola University
The Story Behind the Work
Installed in 2025 outside the Bardwell Hall Courtyard, Faith of Our Farmors reflects Tim Hawkinson's distinctive blend of humor, craftsmanship and serious reflection.
The sculpture, constructed in aluminum using a sand casting process, depicts an elderly woman in prayer whose praying hands take the form of a kinetic tractor tire. The artist saw similarities between clasped hands and the tread pattern of a tire and desired to add an interactive element to his piece. Faith of Our Farmors reflects on the spiritual legacy of the artist’s family. The word farmor is Scandinavian, meaning “father’s mother” in Swedish, making the title of the piece loosely translate to “the faith of our grandmothers.” The inspiration of Hawkinson’s art piece was a painting done by a family member, which depicts another member of the family praying seated at a table. That grandmother is reimagined in this sculpture.
Hawkinson’s work is known for a playfulness bordering on bizarre as well as clever and skilful engineering, both of which are present in Faith of Our Farmors. In many of his works, Hawkinson uses this unique combination to reflect on themes of humanity, faith, legacy and embodied life. The windmill bearing that represents the sculpture’s hands allows for interaction and approachability, inviting viewers to spin it as they pass.
Biola sculpture professor Luke Aleckson reflected on the piece at its dedication: “The metaphor of the wheel — specifically a specific tractor tire form that Tim saw as reminiscent of fingers interlocked in prayer, seems to invite passers-by to interlock their own hands in prayer. For viewers spinning the wheel and praying could become a sort of daily liturgy as they pass by it, back and forth across campus. An informal liturgy, but serving a similar function as the nearby bells, calling us to pause and look upward, or inward, in faith.
“For a lot of people on a lot of days, the face of the figure will probably mirror their own feelings, ones common on a college campus—focus, concentration, perhaps pain—amidst the daily toils of life. On its surface, it’s not a particularly joyful face, but it is still the face of one steadily planting seeds that will one day bear fruit, even if they can’t envision that day amidst the challenges of the present moment.
“It is also, very likely, the face of Tim’s grandmother, having been based on a painting by Tim’s grandfather. It was not the painting of a professional artist, but still survived him to be seen and considered and reimagined in ways his own mortality didn’t afford him to witness in the flesh. In that sense, we are here bearing witness to their faithfulness, a faith that was passed down for generations, and we are here today celebrating some of the fruits of that faith. Tim’s own faithful work carries that spirit forward, linking those past generations — Tim’s parents, grandparents, great-grandparents — to future generations.
“In contrast to the image of the Word around the corner, the role of us believers isn’t to hold the fullness of the Truth in its entirety, but to labor toward it, imperfectly, faithfully, gratefully, in daily rituals of devotion, day after day, year after year, working out our faith while doggedly pursuing whatever tasks are set in front of us.”
Faith of Our Farmors invites embodied reflection on the legacy of faith we have received and the rhythms of prayer in our daily lives.
