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Wednesday 17 September 2008

Art interviews - Bishop of Barking (1)


The Rt Revd David Hawkins was consecrated bishop on 17 October 2002 and began his public ministry as Anglican Bishop of Barking in the Diocese of Chelmsford in January 2003. He has special responsibility for mission and parish development.


JE. You use a lot of visual imagery in your public ministry where most of your sermons or talks contain at least one acted out parable. I can remember seeing you stand on your head (after a number of attempts!); release doves; cook a meal; wash and iron clothes; and hang ‘L’ plates around your neck and those of confirmation candidates. Why is the visual of such importance to you in communicating with people publicly?

DH. For me it is instinctive. I think visually, it is the way I am wired. I am fired by visual images because of my interest in and practice of art. The visual is the most instinctive tool I have. After all, a picture says more than a thousand words. All through history people have been educated and informed primarily through visual images. Jesus also used visuals in his very concrete teaching, so I feel I’m in good company in using everyday objects to make connections for others. I love to use surprise, shock, mirth and amusement in order to make what are hopefully memorable spiritual and theological points. In Church, in spite of centuries where the Church has been a patron of the Arts, the primary means of communicating faith is our insistence on using far too many words which often go right over people’s heads.

JE. Where does your interest in the visual come from originally and how has that interest been developed over the course of your ministry?

DH. I think of myself as an artist first and a clergyperson second. Chronologically, I have been painting and drawing since my colouring book days. Art has been a lifetime pursuit. I was ordained aged 24 but have had a calling to paint since childhood. Therefore, it is natural for me to use visual imagery in communication. It has never been a self conscious decision for me; a trying out of this, that or the other.

Early memories for me, as a child, include seeing Rene Magritte’s Time Transfixed and Salvador Dali’s Lobster Telephone which are bizarre juxtapositions of everyday objects. Now, when I think of the resurrection, I think of a washing machine in front of a communion table. Such juxtapositions help to make familiar preaching themes fresh and to make connections for those who listen. In recent sermons, I have placed in the sanctuary a bath and, a few weeks before seeing the Helter Skelter slides at the Tate Modern (Carsten Holler’s Test Site 2006), I used a children’s slide. I also use a wall of 8 x 4 whiteboards on which to paint stories, which I find works well with All-Age audiences. I feel nervous relying solely on words.

JE. Who or what has influenced in that development? Are there particular artists, periods of art or theologians who have heightened your appreciation of the visual?

DH. There are a large number of artists and periods that I find absorbing, for example, Rembrandt’s religious paintings or the work of Van Gogh. However, what fires me most are contemporary artists such as Terry Frost, Sam Francis, Ivon Hitchens and Howard Hodgkins. The emotional landscapes of Hodgkins are startlingly memorable and I love the iconic impact of his colours.

I am also fascinated by the prophetic influence of so many artists that people would seldom consciously recognise but to which they unconsciously respond. The work of Mark Rothko, which can now be found on calendars and tea towels, seems to be speaking into a longing for a contemplative or mystical expression in people’s lives. Less people now experience this sense in Church leading to a spiritual void in many people’s lives. On Sunday mornings the Art Galleries in London are jammed with people and Art seems to be filling something of this void in people. The prophetic and spiritual vocation of artists is, therefore, more important than it has been for a long time.


The remarkable success of the Tate Modern and, in particular, the Turbine Hall installations, is evidence of this phenomenon. The Weather Project left people awestruck by the everyday phenomenon of the weather. Contemplating our atmosphere and weather in a gallery providing us with a way of reflecting on experiences that are bigger than our individual lives. Embankment contained thousands of cardboard boxes in their emptiness – icebergs of discarded emptiness – which reflected the experience that many people have in their lives. Now, there are the helter skelter slides. In each case these installations are formed from everyday phenomenon but they provide the opportunity for reflection and contemplation. In this way, the Turbine Hall is like a well-filled modern Cathedral.


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