Walthamstow, 2021
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, 31 October 2021
Exhibition: Soft Geometry
“A group exhibition of woven, constructed and collaged pieces by artists Ally Ashworth, Julie Graves, Rachel Johnston and Philip Sanderson. The artworks all share a consideration of materials and a commitment to process, each with a sensitivity to texture, colour, form and composition. With both large scale and smaller works on show, Soft Geometry represents a diverse and unexpected grouping of works.”
Opening Times:
- Weekdays from 16th November, 12 - 5pm.
- Weekend 20th, 21st, 27th November, 11am - 5pm.
email: ally@allyashworth.art
121 High Street
Old Portsmouth
PO1 2HW
www.jackhousegallery.co.uk
Soft Geometry
- Exhibition at the Jack House Gallery 16th November - 27th November 2021
- Private View, Thursday 18th November 6- 8pm.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chrissie Hynde & James Walbourne - Standing in the Doorway.
Friday, 29 October 2021
innovation - multiplication - transformation
Art installation - St Martin in the Fields church, Trafalgar Square, London
Responding to the climate crisis and the COP26 negotiations in Glasgow, this installation by Jonathan Kearney engages with the remarkable Grade 1 listed church building using prints, plants, projections and a hidden layer of augmented reality, to suggest a hopeful vision of the future.
Responding to the climate crisis and the COP26 negotiations in Glasgow, this installation by Jonathan Kearney engages with the remarkable Grade 1 listed church building using prints, plants, projections and a hidden layer of augmented reality, to suggest a hopeful vision of the future.
Tuesday 2 — Sunday 7 November
09.00 - 17.00 church open each day to see the prints, plants and augmented reality (there are some events in the space on certain days so check www.smitf.org before travelling)
Experience the multi-layered projections for 1 night only:
Wednesday 3 November
18.30 - 19.30 the installation forms the canvas in which the weekly ‘Bread for the World’ communion service takes place (anyone is welcome to attend to observe or take part and artist Jonathan Kearney will talk briefly about the work during the service)
19.30 - 21.30 visit any time to experience the space flooded with projected light
09.00 - 17.00 church open each day to see the prints, plants and augmented reality (there are some events in the space on certain days so check www.smitf.org before travelling)
Experience the multi-layered projections for 1 night only:
Wednesday 3 November
18.30 - 19.30 the installation forms the canvas in which the weekly ‘Bread for the World’ communion service takes place (anyone is welcome to attend to observe or take part and artist Jonathan Kearney will talk briefly about the work during the service)
19.30 - 21.30 visit any time to experience the space flooded with projected light
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blind Faith - Presence of the Lord.
Thursday, 28 October 2021
Living God's Future Now - November 2021
'Living God’s Future Now’ is our mini online festival of theology, ideas and practice.
We’ve developed this in response to the pandemic and our changing world. The church is changing too, and - as we improvise and experiment - we can learn and support each other.
This is 'Living God’s Future Now’ - talks, workshops and discussion - hosted by HeartEdge. Created to equip, encourage and energise churches - from leaders to volunteers and enquirers - at the heart and on the edge.
The online programme includes:
Regular – Weekly
Autumn Lecture Series – We Have a Dream: We are Such Stuff as Dreams are Made on: Theatre and the Imagination, Nicholas Hytner. Monday 1 November, 19:00 – 20:30 (GMT). Tickets: www.smitf.org/lectures. "After the ravages of the pandemic, it’s time for church and society to learn to dream again. Dr Martin Luther King Jr, had a dream of racial equality and social justice. Inspired by his dream, we’re gathering a chorus of dreamers from different walks of life to inform and shape our dreams for the years to come." (Revd Dr Sam Wells) We have a dream, the Autumn Lecture Series at St Martin-in-the-Fields for 2021 brings together an inspirational group of speakers. It invites them to dream again on the vital issues of our nation and planet, after a pandemic that has changed the way we live and relate to one another and the world. Drawing on Martin Luther King Jr’s famous words, we aim in this series to address for today some of the essential choices and needs and hopes facing our precious and yet wounded world. Who are the prophetic voices for our time, and how can the church answer that challenge? How do we respond to the crucial issues reshaping our world like migration and those seeking sanctuary and safety through their journeys? How does racialised justice and ‘Black Lives Matter’ confront our history, our present inequalities and the way we live our future? What is the threat to our planet and the danger of extinction, and what is so crucial at the COP26 Global Summit? What is the place of theatre and the creative arts in the way we learn to understand our world and live our dreams? What is the vision of St Martin’s, at the heart, on the edge, seeking a vision of faith that can find God’s abundance even in scarcity that can inspire people to dream again even in the face of adversity? These lectures will be live, in person, at St Martin-in-the-Fields, and will also be live-streamed online. There will be a chance for questions from the audience, and we hope to gather with the speakers afterwards at a reception. We ask those booking tickets to make a donation of £10 towards the cost of the series, but it is also our aim to make the lectures open to all, so limited free places are available. Those who can give more are invited to pay for a free place for someone else to make sure this programme is available for all.
Replanting our Communities: Friday 5 November, 14:00-15:30 GMT, Zoom. Register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/replanting-our-communities-tickets-195752169007. What would our communities look like if we worked with ecology rather than in competition with it? If we helped in small and large ways to grow locally, naturally and organically we could see a thriving eco. system that would transform the atmosphere, increase well being and multiply the beauty and sustainability in and for our communities. Let’s dream together and see what’s possible, from the smallest planted seed to the largest tree, let's grow together and see our communities transformed. The event will be facilitated by Simon Thomas who is director and founder of the City to City Network (www.citytocity.org) which is a catalyst for conversation, innovation and transformation to inspire individuals and organisations to help re-shape cities. Simon is a Co- Founder of Habitat for Humanity Homes UK, a housing charity that works with individual and corporate volunteers, to build and renovate homes, nationally and internationally. He runs a low cost eco. housing company with two partners to provide housing solutions for those on low income 18-35 and has recently helped start a retreat farm with an organic ecological emphasis to help re- think elements of small scale farming. He lives in inner city Peckham and lives in a self-build house which is part community with his wife Paula. With participation from: Andy Atkins - CEO of A Rocha UK - Andy has been described as ‘one of the leading environmentalists’. He most recently led Friends of The Earth. Andy previously worked with Catholic international development charities CAFOD and Progressio, then set up Tearfund’s policy and campaigns work. He was a founder of the 2005 Make Poverty History campaign. Deborah Colvin- Deborah began life as a farmer and agricultural scientist in Australia. She has worked in education for many years as a teacher and school leader, and in curriculum development and community engagement. Deborah is energised by action at the nexus of faith, environment, and science, and is currently Churchwarden at St James's Piccadilly, a Gold Award Eco Church.
Theology Reading Group: Sunday 7 November, 20:00 (GMT). Register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/theology-reading-group-tickets-167228640365. The St Martin-in-the-Fields and HeartEdge Theology Reading Group meets termly to discuss a book together. For this next session we will be exploring and discussing Thomas Merton's The Seven Storey Mountain with Revd Dr Sam Wells, St Martin-in-the-Fields congregation and HeartEdge partners. The Seven Storey Mountain tells the story of Merton's search for faith and peace in a world which first fascinated and then appalled him. It is written with the profound insight of a man who has seen himself clearly.
Autumn Lecture Series – We Have a Dream: A Dream for a New Social Order, Sam Wells and Liz Adekunle. Monday 15 November, 19:00 – 20:30 (GMT). Tickets: www.smitf.org/lectures. "After the ravages of the pandemic, it’s time for church and society to learn to dream again. Dr Martin Luther King Jr, had a dream of racial equality and social justice. Inspired by his dream, we’re gathering a chorus of dreamers from different walks of life to inform and shape our dreams for the years to come." (Revd Dr Sam Wells) We have a dream, the Autumn Lecture Series at St Martin-in-the-Fields for 2021 brings together an inspirational group of speakers. It invites them to dream again on the vital issues of our nation and planet, after a pandemic that has changed the way we live and relate to one another and the world. Drawing on Martin Luther King Jr’s famous words, we aim in this series to address for today some of the essential choices and needs and hopes facing our precious and yet wounded world. Who are the prophetic voices for our time, and how can the church answer that challenge? How do we respond to the crucial issues reshaping our world like migration and those seeking sanctuary and safety through their journeys? How does racialised justice and ‘Black Lives Matter’ confront our history, our present inequalities and the way we live our future? What is the threat to our planet and the danger of extinction, and what is so crucial at the COP26 Global Summit? What is the place of theatre and the creative arts in the way we learn to understand our world and live our dreams? What is the vision of St Martin’s, at the heart, on the edge, seeking a vision of faith that can find God’s abundance even in scarcity that can inspire people to dream again even in the face of adversity? These lectures will be live, in person, at St Martin-in-the-Fields, and will also be live-streamed online. There will be a chance for questions from the audience, and we hope to gather with the speakers afterwards at a reception. We ask those booking tickets to make a donation of £10 towards the cost of the series, but it is also our aim to make the lectures open to all, so limited free places are available. Those who can give more are invited to pay for a free place for someone else to make sure this programme is available for all.
Communion and Community: The Pandemic’s Refining Fire - HeartEdge/CEEP Transatlantic conversation – Tuesday 16 November, 20:00 GMT, zoom. Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/communion-and-community-the-pandemics-refining-fire-tickets-198653015517. It was in its most bewildered hour that Israel in exile found who God truly was. The pandemic has been our chance to discover what God being with us really means. None of us would for a moment have wished this crisis on anybody, let alone the whole world. But our faith teaches us that we only get to see resurrection through crucifixion; that we see God most clearly in our darkest hour. So, what have we discovered? What have we learnt? In particular, our gathering online for worship and community. What has our experience of virtual church revealed theologically and pastorally about communion in all its many and varied forms. How we do communion well online and how do we understand what we are doing online theologically? Panelists include: Sally Hitchiner - Associate, Vicar for Ministry, St. Martin-in-the-Fields; London; Andrew McGowan - Dean, Berkeley Divinity School at Yale; New Haven, Connecticut; Winnie Varghese - Rector, St Luke’s Atlanta; Sam Wells - Vicar, St. Martin-in-the-Fields; London; Manoj Mathew Zacharia - Rector St Ann’s Annapolis, Maryland.
Creation Care Course Week 4: Thursday 18 November, 19:30-21:00, zoom. Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAkcu6opz4rEtFamJIs6M2cAlvzTQmJT0a_. This 4-week Creation Care Course is a unique collaboration between Chester Diocese, HeartEdge, Melanesian Mission UK and Southampton University. The environment is God’s gift to everyone. We have a responsibility towards each other to look after God’s Creation. Tackling climate change is a vital part of this responsibility. In a recent address to faith leaders on 4th February, ahead of the Glasgow conference on climate change in November 2021, the Archbishop of Canterbury said: “To think climate change is a problem of the future rather than a scourge of the present is the blind perspective of the privileged. We look around and see that Mozambique has been hit again by tropical storms. In Nigeria, desertification has contributed indirectly to conflict between people competing for dwindling resources. Floods and cyclones have devastated crops in Melanesia, risking poverty and food insecurity.” In this 4-week Creation Care Course, we will provide you with vital information about climate change, its impacts on people, and reflect on our role as Christians in taking practical climate action. In Week 4: Taking Action – Caring for the Environment, Caring for People (18 November 2021, 19.30-21.00), we will hear about various options for climate change mitigation and adaptation that we can take as individuals, as parishes and as a Christian community. Biography of Principal Contributors: Marie Schlenker is a PhD candidate at the University of Southampton, researching climate change impacts in Solomon Islands. Marie conducts her research in close collaboration with the Anglican Church of Melanesia and the Melanesian Mission UK. She holds a BSc in Geosciences, a MSc in Environmental Physics and a Postgraduate Certificate in Disaster Management. Catherine Duce is the Assistant Vicar for Partnership Development at St Martin-in-the-Fields. She works for HeartEdge – a movement for congregational renewal in the broad church. https://www.heartedge.org/. There will be further input from members of Melanesian Mission UK and wider organisations promoting church engagement on this vital topic as we journey towards COP 26. To get the most out of this consecutive course, we highly recommend attending all four sessions. However, individual bookings will be possible as well.
Culture Clinic: Monday 22 November, 11:00-12:00, zoom. Register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/culture-clinic-tickets-165198654623. Culture Clinic is for anyone and everyone looking to develop their church cultural activity. Stuck? Ideas? Check in for 1:1 support. Culture Clinic is the new monthly offer for anyone and everyone looking for support in developing their church cultural engagement - from setting up a gallery space, developing space gigs, hosting comedy or movie nights. The clinic offers 'how to'... helps. Space to share your stories, experience, ideas... Space to find support. Culture vulture - but stuck? Or have ideas to share? Or looking for a fellow conspirator? Why not check into the clinic? Always practical, useful, full of ideas and tactics. The clinic is monthly 1:1 support with Sarah Rogers - HeartEdge Culture Development coordinator.
Inspired to Follow Advent Course: The Four Last Things – Friday 26 November, 16:30-17:30 GMT, Zoom. Register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/inspired-to-follow-advent-course-the-four-last-things-tickets-197923122387. Inspired to Follow: Art and the Bible Story uses fine art paintings from the National Gallery, along with Biblical stories, theological reflection and conversation with others, as a way to explore big questions that we all wrestle with. All are welcome. As part of our Advent preparations, this new programme of hour-long gatherings on Zoom explores the Four Last Things – death, judgement, heaven and hell:
See www.heartedge.org to join HeartEdge and for more information.
Are we missing something? Be in touch with your ideas for development.
Want to run an online workshop or series with HeartEdge? Don't keep it to yourself. Be in touch and let's plan.
We’ve developed this in response to the pandemic and our changing world. The church is changing too, and - as we improvise and experiment - we can learn and support each other.
This is 'Living God’s Future Now’ - talks, workshops and discussion - hosted by HeartEdge. Created to equip, encourage and energise churches - from leaders to volunteers and enquirers - at the heart and on the edge.
The online programme includes:
- Regular weekly workshops: Sermon Preparation (Tuesdays) and Community of Practitioners (Wednesdays)
- One-off workshops on topics relevant to lockdown such as ‘Growing online communities’ and ‘Grief, Loss & Remembering’
Regular – Weekly
- Tuesdays: Sermon Preparation Workshop, 16:30 (GMT), livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/theHeartEdge/.
- Wednesdays: Community of Practitioners workshop, 16:00 (GMT), Zoom meeting. Email jonathan.evens@smitf.org to register.
Autumn Lecture Series – We Have a Dream: We are Such Stuff as Dreams are Made on: Theatre and the Imagination, Nicholas Hytner. Monday 1 November, 19:00 – 20:30 (GMT). Tickets: www.smitf.org/lectures. "After the ravages of the pandemic, it’s time for church and society to learn to dream again. Dr Martin Luther King Jr, had a dream of racial equality and social justice. Inspired by his dream, we’re gathering a chorus of dreamers from different walks of life to inform and shape our dreams for the years to come." (Revd Dr Sam Wells) We have a dream, the Autumn Lecture Series at St Martin-in-the-Fields for 2021 brings together an inspirational group of speakers. It invites them to dream again on the vital issues of our nation and planet, after a pandemic that has changed the way we live and relate to one another and the world. Drawing on Martin Luther King Jr’s famous words, we aim in this series to address for today some of the essential choices and needs and hopes facing our precious and yet wounded world. Who are the prophetic voices for our time, and how can the church answer that challenge? How do we respond to the crucial issues reshaping our world like migration and those seeking sanctuary and safety through their journeys? How does racialised justice and ‘Black Lives Matter’ confront our history, our present inequalities and the way we live our future? What is the threat to our planet and the danger of extinction, and what is so crucial at the COP26 Global Summit? What is the place of theatre and the creative arts in the way we learn to understand our world and live our dreams? What is the vision of St Martin’s, at the heart, on the edge, seeking a vision of faith that can find God’s abundance even in scarcity that can inspire people to dream again even in the face of adversity? These lectures will be live, in person, at St Martin-in-the-Fields, and will also be live-streamed online. There will be a chance for questions from the audience, and we hope to gather with the speakers afterwards at a reception. We ask those booking tickets to make a donation of £10 towards the cost of the series, but it is also our aim to make the lectures open to all, so limited free places are available. Those who can give more are invited to pay for a free place for someone else to make sure this programme is available for all.
Replanting our Communities: Friday 5 November, 14:00-15:30 GMT, Zoom. Register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/replanting-our-communities-tickets-195752169007. What would our communities look like if we worked with ecology rather than in competition with it? If we helped in small and large ways to grow locally, naturally and organically we could see a thriving eco. system that would transform the atmosphere, increase well being and multiply the beauty and sustainability in and for our communities. Let’s dream together and see what’s possible, from the smallest planted seed to the largest tree, let's grow together and see our communities transformed. The event will be facilitated by Simon Thomas who is director and founder of the City to City Network (www.citytocity.org) which is a catalyst for conversation, innovation and transformation to inspire individuals and organisations to help re-shape cities. Simon is a Co- Founder of Habitat for Humanity Homes UK, a housing charity that works with individual and corporate volunteers, to build and renovate homes, nationally and internationally. He runs a low cost eco. housing company with two partners to provide housing solutions for those on low income 18-35 and has recently helped start a retreat farm with an organic ecological emphasis to help re- think elements of small scale farming. He lives in inner city Peckham and lives in a self-build house which is part community with his wife Paula. With participation from: Andy Atkins - CEO of A Rocha UK - Andy has been described as ‘one of the leading environmentalists’. He most recently led Friends of The Earth. Andy previously worked with Catholic international development charities CAFOD and Progressio, then set up Tearfund’s policy and campaigns work. He was a founder of the 2005 Make Poverty History campaign. Deborah Colvin- Deborah began life as a farmer and agricultural scientist in Australia. She has worked in education for many years as a teacher and school leader, and in curriculum development and community engagement. Deborah is energised by action at the nexus of faith, environment, and science, and is currently Churchwarden at St James's Piccadilly, a Gold Award Eco Church.
Theology Reading Group: Sunday 7 November, 20:00 (GMT). Register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/theology-reading-group-tickets-167228640365. The St Martin-in-the-Fields and HeartEdge Theology Reading Group meets termly to discuss a book together. For this next session we will be exploring and discussing Thomas Merton's The Seven Storey Mountain with Revd Dr Sam Wells, St Martin-in-the-Fields congregation and HeartEdge partners. The Seven Storey Mountain tells the story of Merton's search for faith and peace in a world which first fascinated and then appalled him. It is written with the profound insight of a man who has seen himself clearly.
Autumn Lecture Series – We Have a Dream: A Dream for a New Social Order, Sam Wells and Liz Adekunle. Monday 15 November, 19:00 – 20:30 (GMT). Tickets: www.smitf.org/lectures. "After the ravages of the pandemic, it’s time for church and society to learn to dream again. Dr Martin Luther King Jr, had a dream of racial equality and social justice. Inspired by his dream, we’re gathering a chorus of dreamers from different walks of life to inform and shape our dreams for the years to come." (Revd Dr Sam Wells) We have a dream, the Autumn Lecture Series at St Martin-in-the-Fields for 2021 brings together an inspirational group of speakers. It invites them to dream again on the vital issues of our nation and planet, after a pandemic that has changed the way we live and relate to one another and the world. Drawing on Martin Luther King Jr’s famous words, we aim in this series to address for today some of the essential choices and needs and hopes facing our precious and yet wounded world. Who are the prophetic voices for our time, and how can the church answer that challenge? How do we respond to the crucial issues reshaping our world like migration and those seeking sanctuary and safety through their journeys? How does racialised justice and ‘Black Lives Matter’ confront our history, our present inequalities and the way we live our future? What is the threat to our planet and the danger of extinction, and what is so crucial at the COP26 Global Summit? What is the place of theatre and the creative arts in the way we learn to understand our world and live our dreams? What is the vision of St Martin’s, at the heart, on the edge, seeking a vision of faith that can find God’s abundance even in scarcity that can inspire people to dream again even in the face of adversity? These lectures will be live, in person, at St Martin-in-the-Fields, and will also be live-streamed online. There will be a chance for questions from the audience, and we hope to gather with the speakers afterwards at a reception. We ask those booking tickets to make a donation of £10 towards the cost of the series, but it is also our aim to make the lectures open to all, so limited free places are available. Those who can give more are invited to pay for a free place for someone else to make sure this programme is available for all.
Communion and Community: The Pandemic’s Refining Fire - HeartEdge/CEEP Transatlantic conversation – Tuesday 16 November, 20:00 GMT, zoom. Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/communion-and-community-the-pandemics-refining-fire-tickets-198653015517. It was in its most bewildered hour that Israel in exile found who God truly was. The pandemic has been our chance to discover what God being with us really means. None of us would for a moment have wished this crisis on anybody, let alone the whole world. But our faith teaches us that we only get to see resurrection through crucifixion; that we see God most clearly in our darkest hour. So, what have we discovered? What have we learnt? In particular, our gathering online for worship and community. What has our experience of virtual church revealed theologically and pastorally about communion in all its many and varied forms. How we do communion well online and how do we understand what we are doing online theologically? Panelists include: Sally Hitchiner - Associate, Vicar for Ministry, St. Martin-in-the-Fields; London; Andrew McGowan - Dean, Berkeley Divinity School at Yale; New Haven, Connecticut; Winnie Varghese - Rector, St Luke’s Atlanta; Sam Wells - Vicar, St. Martin-in-the-Fields; London; Manoj Mathew Zacharia - Rector St Ann’s Annapolis, Maryland.
Creation Care Course Week 4: Thursday 18 November, 19:30-21:00, zoom. Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAkcu6opz4rEtFamJIs6M2cAlvzTQmJT0a_. This 4-week Creation Care Course is a unique collaboration between Chester Diocese, HeartEdge, Melanesian Mission UK and Southampton University. The environment is God’s gift to everyone. We have a responsibility towards each other to look after God’s Creation. Tackling climate change is a vital part of this responsibility. In a recent address to faith leaders on 4th February, ahead of the Glasgow conference on climate change in November 2021, the Archbishop of Canterbury said: “To think climate change is a problem of the future rather than a scourge of the present is the blind perspective of the privileged. We look around and see that Mozambique has been hit again by tropical storms. In Nigeria, desertification has contributed indirectly to conflict between people competing for dwindling resources. Floods and cyclones have devastated crops in Melanesia, risking poverty and food insecurity.” In this 4-week Creation Care Course, we will provide you with vital information about climate change, its impacts on people, and reflect on our role as Christians in taking practical climate action. In Week 4: Taking Action – Caring for the Environment, Caring for People (18 November 2021, 19.30-21.00), we will hear about various options for climate change mitigation and adaptation that we can take as individuals, as parishes and as a Christian community. Biography of Principal Contributors: Marie Schlenker is a PhD candidate at the University of Southampton, researching climate change impacts in Solomon Islands. Marie conducts her research in close collaboration with the Anglican Church of Melanesia and the Melanesian Mission UK. She holds a BSc in Geosciences, a MSc in Environmental Physics and a Postgraduate Certificate in Disaster Management. Catherine Duce is the Assistant Vicar for Partnership Development at St Martin-in-the-Fields. She works for HeartEdge – a movement for congregational renewal in the broad church. https://www.heartedge.org/. There will be further input from members of Melanesian Mission UK and wider organisations promoting church engagement on this vital topic as we journey towards COP 26. To get the most out of this consecutive course, we highly recommend attending all four sessions. However, individual bookings will be possible as well.
Culture Clinic: Monday 22 November, 11:00-12:00, zoom. Register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/culture-clinic-tickets-165198654623. Culture Clinic is for anyone and everyone looking to develop their church cultural activity. Stuck? Ideas? Check in for 1:1 support. Culture Clinic is the new monthly offer for anyone and everyone looking for support in developing their church cultural engagement - from setting up a gallery space, developing space gigs, hosting comedy or movie nights. The clinic offers 'how to'... helps. Space to share your stories, experience, ideas... Space to find support. Culture vulture - but stuck? Or have ideas to share? Or looking for a fellow conspirator? Why not check into the clinic? Always practical, useful, full of ideas and tactics. The clinic is monthly 1:1 support with Sarah Rogers - HeartEdge Culture Development coordinator.
Inspired to Follow Advent Course: The Four Last Things – Friday 26 November, 16:30-17:30 GMT, Zoom. Register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/inspired-to-follow-advent-course-the-four-last-things-tickets-197923122387. Inspired to Follow: Art and the Bible Story uses fine art paintings from the National Gallery, along with Biblical stories, theological reflection and conversation with others, as a way to explore big questions that we all wrestle with. All are welcome. As part of our Advent preparations, this new programme of hour-long gatherings on Zoom explores the Four Last Things – death, judgement, heaven and hell:
- 26 November Death - Mark 15:33-45 / ‘The Lamentation over the Dead Christ’ Rembrandt
- 3 December Judgement - Revelation 12:7-17 / ‘Saint Michael’ Carlo Crivelli
- 10 December Heaven - Revelation 21:1-5, 9-11, 22-27, 22:1-5 / ‘Christ Glorified in the Court of Heaven; central predella panel’ probably by Fra Angelico
- 17 December Hell - Luke 16:19-30 / ‘The Rich Man being led to Hell’ David Teniers the Younger
See www.heartedge.org to join HeartEdge and for more information.
Are we missing something? Be in touch with your ideas for development.
Want to run an online workshop or series with HeartEdge? Don't keep it to yourself. Be in touch and let's plan.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Delirious? - Deeper.
Wednesday, 27 October 2021
Now is the time
Here's the reflection I shared during the lunchtime Eucharist at St Martin-in-the-Fields today:
'Sir David Attenborough has issued a warning ahead of the UN climate summit in Glasgow that leaders must act now or “it’ll be too late” for the planet.
Cop26 has been billed as the last best chance to keep global temperature rises to no more than 1.5C, with Sir David critical of those who deny the climate crisis.
In conversation with BBC science editor David Shukman, the naturalist and broadcaster said: “Every month that passes, it becomes more and more incontrovertible, the changes to the planet that we are responsible for that are having these devastating effects.”
He added: “If we don’t act now, it will be too late. We have to do it now.”'
The banner behind me with its coloured stripes is intended to remind us of the narrow window of time we currently face in regard to addressing climate change by highlighting how we have witnessed temperatures change across the globe over the past century or more. The colour of each stripe represents the temperature of a single year, ordered from the earliest available data to now.
There is a narrow window in which we can change. The time is short, and the gate is narrow, as Jesus said to his disciples (Luke 13.22-30).
When he spoke those words, Jesus knew his time was limited. He knew Jerusalem and death was fast approaching. He knew that through his ministry in Israel God's people were being given an opportunity to respond in a new way, yet the opportunity would not be there for long. Therefore, he and his disciples travelled the length and breadth of Israel in the three years before his crucifixion to share the good news of the opportunity that was before the people but only for a short time.
They went with the message that ‘The Kingdom of God is near you now.’ Now was the time when the Kingdom of God could be seen and touched and experienced because now was the time that God himself was with them. He sent his disciples ahead of him to say that the Kingdom of God was coming near, that it would be experienced in the time when he arrived. So, the time to respond and experience and join was now.
The Gospels, therefore, are full of urgency. Jesus' parables are stories of decision, stories in which people find out that time has beaten them and the moment for response has passed. Are we like, the wise or foolish bridesmaids? Those that were ready for the coming of the bridegroom, or not? Are we like, the farmer who built his big barns planning to eat, drink and be merry, but whose life was demanded of him that night? Or will we be like the Prodigal Son or realised change was possible and seized the moment by returning to his father and being reconciled.
Life consistently challenges us to decide in the moment. If there is one thing that the pandemic has taught us, it is that life is short, and we do not know what is around the corner. Therefore, we should not put off what we know we should do today. Our time is short, the gate is narrow, the time for decision is now.
That's certainly the case in regard to the climate emergency. 'UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa has urged countries to redouble their climate efforts or face a “destabilised world and endless suffering” as a result of the crisis.
“Overshooting the temperature goals will lead to a destabilised world and endless suffering, especially among those who have contributed the least to the greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere.”
A report from UN Climate Change has been produced so countries have the most up-to-date information before Cop26 and includes extra plans put forward since a full analysis on the issue in September. Ms Espinosa has said the update confirmed what the earlier report showed: “That we are nowhere near where science says we should be.”
Cop26 President Alok Sharma says the latest report makes clear that “to protect the world from the most devastating impacts of climate change, countries must take more ambitious action on emissions, and they must act now”.'
In the words of the singer-songwriter Lou Reed:
'This is no time to ignore Warnings
This is no time to clear the Plate
Let's not be sorry after the fact
And let the past become our fate
This is no time for phony Rhetoric
This is no time for political Speech
This is a time for action
Because the future's within Reach'
So, just as Jesus stated in relation to his own mission, we too need to strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able because by then it will be too late. In our current situation, that prediction would be a disaster for the generations that follow us. Amen.
'Sir David Attenborough has issued a warning ahead of the UN climate summit in Glasgow that leaders must act now or “it’ll be too late” for the planet.
Cop26 has been billed as the last best chance to keep global temperature rises to no more than 1.5C, with Sir David critical of those who deny the climate crisis.
In conversation with BBC science editor David Shukman, the naturalist and broadcaster said: “Every month that passes, it becomes more and more incontrovertible, the changes to the planet that we are responsible for that are having these devastating effects.”
He added: “If we don’t act now, it will be too late. We have to do it now.”'
The banner behind me with its coloured stripes is intended to remind us of the narrow window of time we currently face in regard to addressing climate change by highlighting how we have witnessed temperatures change across the globe over the past century or more. The colour of each stripe represents the temperature of a single year, ordered from the earliest available data to now.
There is a narrow window in which we can change. The time is short, and the gate is narrow, as Jesus said to his disciples (Luke 13.22-30).
When he spoke those words, Jesus knew his time was limited. He knew Jerusalem and death was fast approaching. He knew that through his ministry in Israel God's people were being given an opportunity to respond in a new way, yet the opportunity would not be there for long. Therefore, he and his disciples travelled the length and breadth of Israel in the three years before his crucifixion to share the good news of the opportunity that was before the people but only for a short time.
They went with the message that ‘The Kingdom of God is near you now.’ Now was the time when the Kingdom of God could be seen and touched and experienced because now was the time that God himself was with them. He sent his disciples ahead of him to say that the Kingdom of God was coming near, that it would be experienced in the time when he arrived. So, the time to respond and experience and join was now.
The Gospels, therefore, are full of urgency. Jesus' parables are stories of decision, stories in which people find out that time has beaten them and the moment for response has passed. Are we like, the wise or foolish bridesmaids? Those that were ready for the coming of the bridegroom, or not? Are we like, the farmer who built his big barns planning to eat, drink and be merry, but whose life was demanded of him that night? Or will we be like the Prodigal Son or realised change was possible and seized the moment by returning to his father and being reconciled.
Life consistently challenges us to decide in the moment. If there is one thing that the pandemic has taught us, it is that life is short, and we do not know what is around the corner. Therefore, we should not put off what we know we should do today. Our time is short, the gate is narrow, the time for decision is now.
That's certainly the case in regard to the climate emergency. 'UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa has urged countries to redouble their climate efforts or face a “destabilised world and endless suffering” as a result of the crisis.
“Overshooting the temperature goals will lead to a destabilised world and endless suffering, especially among those who have contributed the least to the greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere.”
A report from UN Climate Change has been produced so countries have the most up-to-date information before Cop26 and includes extra plans put forward since a full analysis on the issue in September. Ms Espinosa has said the update confirmed what the earlier report showed: “That we are nowhere near where science says we should be.”
Cop26 President Alok Sharma says the latest report makes clear that “to protect the world from the most devastating impacts of climate change, countries must take more ambitious action on emissions, and they must act now”.'
In the words of the singer-songwriter Lou Reed:
'This is no time to ignore Warnings
This is no time to clear the Plate
Let's not be sorry after the fact
And let the past become our fate
This is no time for phony Rhetoric
This is no time for political Speech
This is a time for action
Because the future's within Reach'
So, just as Jesus stated in relation to his own mission, we too need to strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able because by then it will be too late. In our current situation, that prediction would be a disaster for the generations that follow us. Amen.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Counting Crows - Big Yellow Taxi.
Sunday, 24 October 2021
Living God's Future Now - w/c 24 October 2021
'Living God’s Future Now’ is our mini online festival of theology, ideas and practice.
We’ve developed this in response to the pandemic and our changing world. The church is changing too, and - as we improvise and experiment - we can learn and support each other.
This is 'Living God’s Future Now’ - talks, workshops and discussion - hosted by HeartEdge. Created to equip, encourage and energise churches - from leaders to volunteers and enquirers - at the heart and on the edge.
The online programme includes:
- Regular weekly workshops: Sermon Preparation (Tuesdays) and Community of Practitioners (Wednesdays)
- One-off workshops on topics relevant to lockdown such as ‘Growing online communities’ and ‘Grief, Loss & Remembering’
Regular – Weekly
- Tuesdays: Sermon Preparation Workshop, 16:30 (GMT), livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/theHeartEdge/.
- Wednesdays: Community of Practitioners workshop, 16:00 (GMT), Zoom meeting. Email jonathan.evens@smitf.org to register.
W/c 24 October 2021
The Dream for Our Planet: Monday 25 October 7.00pm-8.30pm, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N4JJ. No subject could be more important than this. One week before COP26 UN Climate Change Conference, our Autumn Lecture Series addresses the question confronting the future of our entire planet and asks what is our dream for our planet and what we must do now? The lectures are both in person and live streamed and available at: www.smitf.org/lectures. Free tickets are available on the door and all are welcome to join us in the church and for a reception afterwards to meet the speakers.
Transforming Effectiveness: Tuesday 26 October, 10:00-11:30, Zoom. Click here to register - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/transforming-effectiveness-tickets-189299799797. Time to discuss the possible provision of new services for worshipping communities including HR, payroll, bookkeeping and administration. What can you expect from the workshop? We will be using the time to discuss the possible provision of new services for worshipping communities in the following areas. These have been identified from the initial research that took place with hundreds of lay and ordained leaders in the spring of 2021: HR Service; Payroll service; Bookkeeping and independent examination services; Church administration software; Knowledge hub – trying to bring various resources for church leaders into one home. This is a Church of England workshop, with members of HeartEdge.
Community of Practitioners: Wednesday 27 October, 16:00, Zoom. Join with church leaders (both lay and ordained) worldwide to reflect on theology and practice. Email jonathan.evens@smitf.org for the link.
Making UK Connections: Voices of the Pacific: Thursday 28 October – 10:00 BST (9pm Pacific Time), zoom. Click here to register - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/making-uk-connections-voices-of-the-pacific-tickets-173888614527. A panel of faith and climate mitigation leaders including His Excellency The Most Rev. Dr Peter Loy Chong DD, Archbishop of Suva, discuss what pacific island communities most need from Cop26 and how communities of faith can connect anew to amplify the calls for urgent action.
Novices of the Melanesian Brotherhood - Jisas Yu Holem Hand Blong Mi.
Transforming Effectiveness: Tuesday 26 October, 10:00-11:30, Zoom. Click here to register - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/transforming-effectiveness-tickets-189299799797. Time to discuss the possible provision of new services for worshipping communities including HR, payroll, bookkeeping and administration. What can you expect from the workshop? We will be using the time to discuss the possible provision of new services for worshipping communities in the following areas. These have been identified from the initial research that took place with hundreds of lay and ordained leaders in the spring of 2021: HR Service; Payroll service; Bookkeeping and independent examination services; Church administration software; Knowledge hub – trying to bring various resources for church leaders into one home. This is a Church of England workshop, with members of HeartEdge.
Community of Practitioners: Wednesday 27 October, 16:00, Zoom. Join with church leaders (both lay and ordained) worldwide to reflect on theology and practice. Email jonathan.evens@smitf.org for the link.
Making UK Connections: Voices of the Pacific: Thursday 28 October – 10:00 BST (9pm Pacific Time), zoom. Click here to register - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/making-uk-connections-voices-of-the-pacific-tickets-173888614527. A panel of faith and climate mitigation leaders including His Excellency The Most Rev. Dr Peter Loy Chong DD, Archbishop of Suva, discuss what pacific island communities most need from Cop26 and how communities of faith can connect anew to amplify the calls for urgent action.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saturday, 23 October 2021
Artlyst: George Condo Lockdown Works Hauser & Wirth
My latest review for Artlyst is of 'George Condo: Ideals of the Unfound Truth' at Hauser & Wirth:
Albert Ayler - Music is the Healing Force of the Universe.
'There is an explosion of paint at Hauser & Wirth in the latest exhibition by George Condo. The energies of emergence and encounter surge within his paintings, creating events overflowing in chaotic emotional turmoil.
Condo’s mid-career retrospective was titled ‘Mental States’ as his drawings and paintings depict states of mind reflecting the range of emotions that simultaneously occur within us, often buried deep within our collective subconscious, revealing themselves through fragmented figurative forms.
In this endeavour, each brushstroke is an event, invented characters recur, blur and blend, art historical references abound, layered paint is built up and blocked out, and Condo’s line swirls and twirls across the depths of his surfaces, bringing both clarity and confusion.'
Condo’s mid-career retrospective was titled ‘Mental States’ as his drawings and paintings depict states of mind reflecting the range of emotions that simultaneously occur within us, often buried deep within our collective subconscious, revealing themselves through fragmented figurative forms.
In this endeavour, each brushstroke is an event, invented characters recur, blur and blend, art historical references abound, layered paint is built up and blocked out, and Condo’s line swirls and twirls across the depths of his surfaces, bringing both clarity and confusion.'
My other pieces for Artlyst are:
Interviews -
Interviews -
- Sidney Nolan’s Africa: Interview With Andrew Turley
- Ilona Bossanyi: Tate’s Ervin Bossanyi Stained Glass Window Mothballed After 2011 Redevelopment
- Louis Carreon: Sampling Art History
- Modus Operandi - What Makes Successful Public Art: Vivien Lovell Interviewed
- Genesis Tramaine: A Queer Devotional Painter
- Lakwena Maciver: Review-Interview Hastings Contemporary
- Nicola Ravenscroft - Sculpture With A Peaceful Stillness
- Artist Hannah Rose Thomas – Tears of Gold – Interview
- Marcus Lyon: Human Atlas Explorations
- Elizabeth Kwant Interview
- Helaine Blumenfeld: Undulating Structures
- National Gallery Explores ‘Sin’ In New Exhibition – Interview Dr Joost Joustra Curator
- Betty Spackman: Posthumanism Debates
- Christopher Clack: Connecting The Material And Immaterial
- Peter Howson Artlyst Interview
- Marleen Hengelaar-Rookmaaker On The Legacy Of ArtWay
- Alastair Gordon A Testament To His Faith
- Katrina Moss Chaiya Art Awards Interview: Where is God in our 21st century world?
- Apocalypse Now: Michael Takeo Magruder Interviewed
- Jonathan Anderson: Religious Inspirations Behind Modernism
- Caravan – An Interview With Rev Paul Gordon Chandler On Arts Peacebuilding
- Art Awakening Humanity Alexander de Cadenet Interviewed
- Michael Pendry New Installation Lights Up St Martin In The Fields
- Mark Dean Projects Stations of the Cross Videos On Henry Moore Altar
- Theaster Gates Clay As A Profound Metaphor
- Mark Rothko: Mesmerising And Intimate Works On Paper
- International Autumn Art Exhibition Reviews
- Roger Cecil: A Once In A Generation Welsh Painter
- Tino Sehgal: Location, Nature And Pandemic – Blenheim Palace
- Michael Armitage And The Power Of Art – Royal Academy
- Marie Raymond And Post-War Avant Garde Painting In Paris
- Rachel Kneebone: A Complex Tableau Of Organic And Geometric Forms
- Rodin: Suffering And Conflict – Tate Modern
- Barbara Hepworth: Symbols Of Art & Life – Hepworth Wakefield
- 20th Century Women Artists Challenging Conventions In Britain
- Chaiya Art Awards 2021 Gallery OXO
- Marc Chagall’s Exquisite Stained Glass Window Commissions
- George Gittoes Equal parts artist and warrior
- Keith Haring: Personal Spiritual Imagery
- Sean Scully: Philosophical Poetic Pastoral The 12 / Dark Windows
- Arthur Jafa: The Art Of Cutting And Pasting
- Blackpentecostal Breath: Spirit-Led Movement Jumps From Music To Visual Art
- Made in USA Ed Ruscha An American Perspective
- Robert Smithson: The Archetypal Nature Of Things
- If Jesus Is A Man Of Colour Why Did We Make Him Aryan?
- Cosmic Patches And Quilts Five Exhibitions
- Everyday Heroes: Southbank Exhibition Celebrates Low-paid Key Workers
- Entwining Spiritualism And Art – Three Shows
- Of Church And The Visual Arts
- Has The Word Master Reached Its Sell-By Date?
- The People Behind Community Is Kindness Billboard Campaign
- André Daughtry: Art, Rebellion And Racial Justice
- Salisbury Cathedral 800 Years Of Art And Spirit
- Home Alone Together Twenty Five Artists
- Botanical Mind Online: Art, Mysticism and the Cosmic Tree
- Salvador Dalí The Enigma of Faith
- Art And Faith A Time For Seeing
- Andy Warhol: Catholicism His Work, Faith And Legacy
- Kiki Smith: Embodied Art
- Art and Christianity Awards A Positive New Millennium Legacy
- Arnulf Rainer: 90th Birthday Exhibition Celebrated At Albertina Museum
- A Belonging Project And Exiles Loss and Displacement
- Robert Polidori: Fra Angelico Opus Operantis
- Art, Faith, Church Patronage and Modernity
- Contemplating the Spiritual in Contemporary Art
- Mat Collishaw Challenges Faith Perspectives With Ushaw Installation
- Waterloo Festival Launches At St. John’s Waterloo
- John Bellany Alan Davie Spiritual Joy and Magic
- RIFT Unites 17 Art and Science MA Graduates At Central St Martins
- Visionary Cities: Michael Takeo Magruder – British Library
- Van Gogh’s Religious Journey Around London
- William Congdon Holy Sites And The Kettle’s Yard Connection
- Mark Dean Premieres Pastiche Mass At Banqueting Hall Chelsea College of Arts
- John Kirby: The Torment
- Underlying The Civilised Facade
- Curating Spiritual Sensibilities In Changing Times
- Homeless Highlighted: New Beau Exhibition At St Martin-in-the-Fields
- Ken Currie: Protest Defeat And Victory
- Bosco Sodi: A Moment Of Genesis
- Bill Viola And The Art Of Contemplation
- Art In Churches 2018: Spiritual Combinations Explored
- Sister Wendy Beckett – A Reminiscence
- Guido Guidi: Per Strada Flowers Gallery London
- Peter Howson: The play is over – Flowers Gallery
- Camille Henrot: Scientific History And Creation Story Mash Up
- Nicola Green Explores Recent And Contemporary Religious Leaders – St Martin-in-the-Fields
- Art And The Consequences Of War Explored In Two Exhibitions
- Helaine Blumenfeld Translating Her Vision
- Sam Ivin: Physically Scratched Portraits Of Asylum Seekers Exhibited
- Sacred Noise: Explores Religion, Faith And Divinity
- Bill Viola: Quiet Contemplative Video Installation St Cuthbert’s Church Edinburgh
- The ground-breaking work of Sister Corita Kent
- Picasso To Souza: The Crucifixion Imagery Rarely Exhibited
- Michael Takeo Magruder: De / coding the Apocalypse – Panacea Museum
- Giorgio Griffa: The Golden Ratio And Inexplicable Knowledge
- Arabella Dorman Unveils New Installation At St James Church Piccadilly
- Can Art Transform Society?
- Art Awakening Humanity Conference Report
- Central St Martins in the Fields Design Then And Now
- The Sacramental And Liturgical Nature Of Conceptual Art
- Polish Art In Britain: Centenary Marked At London’s Ben Uri Gallery
- Refugee Artists: Learning from The Lives Of Others
- The Religious Impulses Of Robert Rauschenberg
- The Christian Science Connection Within The British Modern Art Movement
- Artists Rebranding The Christmas Tree Tradition
- Art Impacted - A Radical Response To Radicalisation
- The Art of St Martin-in-the-Fields
- Was Caravaggio A Good Christian?
Windows on the world (350)
Canary Wharf, 2021
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bob Dylan - Licence To Kill
Tuesday, 19 October 2021
Artlyst: Theaster Gates - Clay As A Profound Metaphor
My latest review for Artlyst is of Theaster Gates' 'A Clay Sermon' at the Whitechapel Gallery:
"In the beginning, there was clay. Clay was without form. Thus begins Theaster Gates’ ‘A Clay Sermon’, a film combining music, images, and words to paint a picture of the limitless potential of clay and working with Clay. No wonder the Judeo-Christian scriptures view clay as a profound metaphor for the relationship between a creative God and a co-creating humanity.
Gates’ exhibition combines history with art, religion and culture, the past with the present, that which is oppressive with that which is liberating, the improvisatory and the planned, chance and design; while using a huge diversity of media as artist, craftsperson, curator, designer, entrepreneur, historian, musician, priest/shaman, researcher, and social analyst. Featuring ceramic objects, sculptures, installations, film, and studio materials from the past two decades, this exhibition considers both the material and spiritual legacies of clay."
My other pieces for Artlyst are:
Interviews -
Theaster Gates and the Black Monks of Mississippi Live Performance
"In the beginning, there was clay. Clay was without form. Thus begins Theaster Gates’ ‘A Clay Sermon’, a film combining music, images, and words to paint a picture of the limitless potential of clay and working with Clay. No wonder the Judeo-Christian scriptures view clay as a profound metaphor for the relationship between a creative God and a co-creating humanity.
Gates’ exhibition combines history with art, religion and culture, the past with the present, that which is oppressive with that which is liberating, the improvisatory and the planned, chance and design; while using a huge diversity of media as artist, craftsperson, curator, designer, entrepreneur, historian, musician, priest/shaman, researcher, and social analyst. Featuring ceramic objects, sculptures, installations, film, and studio materials from the past two decades, this exhibition considers both the material and spiritual legacies of clay."
My other pieces for Artlyst are:
Interviews -
- Sidney Nolan’s Africa: Interview With Andrew Turley
- Ilona Bossanyi: Tate’s Ervin Bossanyi Stained Glass Window Mothballed After 2011 Redevelopment
- Louis Carreon: Sampling Art History
- Modus Operandi - What Makes Successful Public Art: Vivien Lovell Interviewed
- Genesis Tramaine: A Queer Devotional Painter
- Lakwena Maciver: Review-Interview Hastings Contemporary
- Nicola Ravenscroft - Sculpture With A Peaceful Stillness
- Artist Hannah Rose Thomas – Tears of Gold – Interview
- Marcus Lyon: Human Atlas Explorations
- Elizabeth Kwant Interview
- Helaine Blumenfeld: Undulating Structures
- National Gallery Explores ‘Sin’ In New Exhibition – Interview Dr Joost Joustra Curator
- Betty Spackman: Posthumanism Debates
- Christopher Clack: Connecting The Material And Immaterial
- Peter Howson Artlyst Interview
- Marleen Hengelaar-Rookmaaker On The Legacy Of ArtWay
- Alastair Gordon A Testament To His Faith
- Katrina Moss Chaiya Art Awards Interview: Where is God in our 21st century world?
- Apocalypse Now: Michael Takeo Magruder Interviewed
- Jonathan Anderson: Religious Inspirations Behind Modernism
- Caravan – An Interview With Rev Paul Gordon Chandler On Arts Peacebuilding
- Art Awakening Humanity Alexander de Cadenet Interviewed
- Michael Pendry New Installation Lights Up St Martin In The Fields
- Mark Dean Projects Stations of the Cross Videos On Henry Moore Altar
- Mark Rothko: Mesmerising And Intimate Works On Paper
- International Autumn Art Exhibition Reviews
- Roger Cecil: A Once In A Generation Welsh Painter
- Tino Sehgal: Location, Nature And Pandemic – Blenheim Palace
- Michael Armitage And The Power Of Art – Royal Academy
- Marie Raymond And Post-War Avant Garde Painting In Paris
- Rachel Kneebone: A Complex Tableau Of Organic And Geometric Forms
- Rodin: Suffering And Conflict – Tate Modern
- Barbara Hepworth: Symbols Of Art & Life – Hepworth Wakefield
- 20th Century Women Artists Challenging Conventions In Britain
- Chaiya Art Awards 2021 Gallery OXO
- Marc Chagall’s Exquisite Stained Glass Window Commissions
- George Gittoes Equal parts artist and warrior
- Keith Haring: Personal Spiritual Imagery
- Sean Scully: Philosophical Poetic Pastoral The 12 / Dark Windows
- Arthur Jafa: The Art Of Cutting And Pasting
- Blackpentecostal Breath: Spirit-Led Movement Jumps From Music To Visual Art
- Made in USA Ed Ruscha An American Perspective
- Robert Smithson: The Archetypal Nature Of Things
- If Jesus Is A Man Of Colour Why Did We Make Him Aryan?
- Cosmic Patches And Quilts Five Exhibitions
- Everyday Heroes: Southbank Exhibition Celebrates Low-paid Key Workers
- Entwining Spiritualism And Art – Three Shows
- Of Church And The Visual Arts
- Has The Word Master Reached Its Sell-By Date?
- The People Behind Community Is Kindness Billboard Campaign
- André Daughtry: Art, Rebellion And Racial Justice
- Salisbury Cathedral 800 Years Of Art And Spirit
- Home Alone Together Twenty Five Artists
- Botanical Mind Online: Art, Mysticism and the Cosmic Tree
- Salvador Dalí The Enigma of Faith
- Art And Faith A Time For Seeing
- Andy Warhol: Catholicism His Work, Faith And Legacy
- Kiki Smith: Embodied Art
- Art and Christianity Awards A Positive New Millennium Legacy
- Arnulf Rainer: 90th Birthday Exhibition Celebrated At Albertina Museum
- A Belonging Project And Exiles Loss and Displacement
- Robert Polidori: Fra Angelico Opus Operantis
- Art, Faith, Church Patronage and Modernity
- Contemplating the Spiritual in Contemporary Art
- Mat Collishaw Challenges Faith Perspectives With Ushaw Installation
- Waterloo Festival Launches At St. John’s Waterloo
- John Bellany Alan Davie Spiritual Joy and Magic
- RIFT Unites 17 Art and Science MA Graduates At Central St Martins
- Visionary Cities: Michael Takeo Magruder – British Library
- Van Gogh’s Religious Journey Around London
- William Congdon Holy Sites And The Kettle’s Yard Connection
- Mark Dean Premieres Pastiche Mass At Banqueting Hall Chelsea College of Arts
- John Kirby: The Torment
- Underlying The Civilised Facade
- Curating Spiritual Sensibilities In Changing Times
- Homeless Highlighted: New Beau Exhibition At St Martin-in-the-Fields
- Ken Currie: Protest Defeat And Victory
- Bosco Sodi: A Moment Of Genesis
- Bill Viola And The Art Of Contemplation
- Art In Churches 2018: Spiritual Combinations Explored
- Sister Wendy Beckett – A Reminiscence
- Guido Guidi: Per Strada Flowers Gallery London
- Peter Howson: The play is over – Flowers Gallery
- Camille Henrot: Scientific History And Creation Story Mash Up
- Nicola Green Explores Recent And Contemporary Religious Leaders – St Martin-in-the-Fields
- Art And The Consequences Of War Explored In Two Exhibitions
- Helaine Blumenfeld Translating Her Vision
- Sam Ivin: Physically Scratched Portraits Of Asylum Seekers Exhibited
- Sacred Noise: Explores Religion, Faith And Divinity
- Bill Viola: Quiet Contemplative Video Installation St Cuthbert’s Church Edinburgh
- The ground-breaking work of Sister Corita Kent
- Picasso To Souza: The Crucifixion Imagery Rarely Exhibited
- Michael Takeo Magruder: De / coding the Apocalypse – Panacea Museum
- Giorgio Griffa: The Golden Ratio And Inexplicable Knowledge
- Arabella Dorman Unveils New Installation At St James Church Piccadilly
- Can Art Transform Society?
- Art Awakening Humanity Conference Report
- Central St Martins in the Fields Design Then And Now
- The Sacramental And Liturgical Nature Of Conceptual Art
- Polish Art In Britain: Centenary Marked At London’s Ben Uri Gallery
- Refugee Artists: Learning from The Lives Of Others
- The Religious Impulses Of Robert Rauschenberg
- The Christian Science Connection Within The British Modern Art Movement
- Artists Rebranding The Christmas Tree Tradition
- Art Impacted - A Radical Response To Radicalisation
- The Art of St Martin-in-the-Fields
- Was Caravaggio A Good Christian?
Rupert Loydell: The Weight of the World
‘The Weight of the World’ by Rupert Loydell is a long poem sequence in two parts, about annunciations, written in response to hat sculptures by Gertraud Platschek.
In 'Dear Mary' (2017) Loydell wrote about art and life and how they intersect. Fascinated by both renaissance and contemporary painting, he reinvented moments of annunciation in today's world, and revelled in the colours and sunshine of Italy. In a world of wonder and surprise, aliens abducted the Virgin Mary, 20th century rock singers found themselves collaged together and singing about her, infinite greys (and grays) blurred together between other greys, Francis Bacon painted angels, and even the weather forecast predicted the future.
Then, in 'A Confusion of Marys' (2020) Loydell and Sarah Cave explored, wrote back to and re-imagined the story of the Angel Gabriel appearing to Mary, in terms of sequential writing, re-versioning, accumulation, variation and ekphrasis. Many paintings, photographs, videos and sculptures depicting the annunciation were used as research and inspiration, including works by Fra Angelico, Andy Warhol, Francis Picabia, Paul Delvaux and René Magritte.
These works are part of an ongoing exploration of annunciation and associated themes such as colour, contemporary art, spiritual / alien intervention and intrusion into the human realm, symbolism and the nature of belief and submission. Loydell has talked about these sequences in terms of “trips to Italy and being mesmerised by a couple of Fra Angelica paintings, and then following through by looking at lots more annunciations and art and photography about angels, about deliberately [mis]reading works of art and events as annunciations, and a vague idea of something from elsewhere intruding into the human realm.”
As an artist-poet, Loydell has frequently written about art and artists and his latest sequence is no exception having been inspired by the work of Gertraud Platschek, a German based architect, sculptor and painter. She says: “While I am an architect I also live in the world of colours. I like to paint on large formats. Painting that means to me throwing, smearing, scratching – with the aim to achieve the impossible.” The latter aim is one to which Loydell responds, particularly in regard to her love of strange and wondrous hats.
Platschek has:
“Made the world into a hat
and the hats into a world
on top of the world.”
There is:
“an annunciation hat
ready for things to come”
and
“a resurrection hat
a small shrine to self”
She has:
“Balanced doubt up on her head
And held her head up high”
Mary “tends toward the meek and mild” but may come to:
“Use all her architectural skills and training
to subvert the iconography, reinvent the halo
as a torn edge of fabric or card, write her own
apochrypha, subvert the idea of religious signs.
She will not be a threshold for holy desire,
will wear her hat into future space and time.”
In these ways Loydell explores how we navigate the world around us, seen and unseen; how we might wonder, explain, and start to understand.
He teaches his students at Falmouth University a text in which “Gabriel Josipovici talks about how stories die unless they are changed, reinvented, argued over and made new.” Similarly, he has spoken of how his original sense of the annunciation “was very much to do with Renaissance art and Italy, as well as colour and ekphrasis.” However, he has come to realise that ‘one can interpret almost anything through the lens of a particular story or event.’ At times the story of the Annunciation has come to feel like “an endless and somewhat ridiculous shaggy dog story, but it's become a real way to think about all sorts of stories and encounters in the world, a way of understanding human beings.” So, he says, “I guess my 'sense of Mary' is not very specific, it's about bewildered, frightened, confused and perhaps empowered humans caught up in strange encounters and activities, sometimes aware they are within a painting, sculpture, film or story.”
As Steve Scott has said Loydell’s words are ‘wrapped around a deeper mystery that invites, but ultimately defies description.’ For Loydell, as Neil Philip notes, everything is “trying to imply ascension”. “Moments of transcendence occur even when ‘We didn’t get to see the angel.’”
‘The Weight of the World’ by Rupert M Loydell, Analogue
Flashback Books, 2021.
Bill Fay - Countless Trees.
Monday, 18 October 2021
Living God's Future Now - w/c 16 October 2021
'Living God’s Future Now’ is our mini online festival of theology, ideas and practice.
We’ve developed this in response to the pandemic and our changing world. The church is changing too, and - as we improvise and experiment - we can learn and support each other.This is 'Living God’s Future Now’ - talks, workshops and discussion - hosted by HeartEdge. Created to equip, encourage and energise churches - from leaders to volunteers and enquirers - at the heart and on the edge.
The online programme includes:
- Regular weekly workshops: Sermon Preparation (Tuesdays) and Community of Practitioners (Wednesdays)
- One-off workshops on topics relevant to lockdown such as ‘Growing online communities’ and ‘Grief, Loss & Remembering’
Regular – Weekly
- Tuesdays: Sermon Preparation Workshop, 16:30 (GMT), livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/theHeartEdge/.
- Wednesdays: Community of Practitioners workshop, 16:00 (GMT), Zoom meeting. Email jonathan.evens@smitf.org to register.
W/c 16 October 2021
(Still) Calling from the Edge: Saturday 16 October, 10:00-16:30, zoom. Register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/still-calling-from-the-edge-tickets-164001249151. (Still) Calling from the Edge is the 10th annual conference on Disability & Church. It's a partnership between St Martin in the Fields and Inclusive Church, hosted online by HeartEdge. In this year's conference we explore call as challenge, lament and vocation. Through art, music, story and theology, in plenary talks, small groups, workshops and liturgy. It's a cry for justice that marks a milestone: 10 years of calling from the edge.
Culture Clinic: Monday 18 October, 11:00-12:00, zoom. Register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/culture-clinic-tickets-165198654623. Culture Clinic is for anyone and everyone looking to develop their church cultural activity. Stuck? Ideas? Check in for 1:1 support. Culture Clinic is the new monthly offer for anyone and everyone looking for support in developing their church cultural engagement - from setting up a gallery space, developing space gigs, hosting comedy or movie nights. The clinic is monthly 1:1 support with Sarah Rogers - HeartEdge Culture Development coordinator.
Sermon Preparation Workshop: Tuesday 28 September, 16:30-17.30, livestream. Join here: https://www.facebook.com/theHeartEdge. Discussion of preaching and the lectionary readings for the coming Sunday with Sam Wells and Sally Hitchiner.
Community of Practitioners: Wednesday 6 October, 16:00 BST, Zoom. Join with church leaders (both lay and ordained) worldwide to reflect on theology and practice. Email jonathan.evens@smitf.org for the link. We are reading ‘Jesus and the Disinherited’ by Howard Thurman. As the discourse about race has become more urgent, and more influenced by US models, it’s a good time to look at the work of one of Martin Luther King’s mentors, a voice largely neglected in the US and almost unknown in the UK, to find sources of resistance to racism within the Christian tradition.
How to see the church of the future: Thursday 21 October, 19:00-20:30 (BST), zoom. Register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/fast-foward-tickets-163532577341. Foresight is the ability to think effectively about how the future might be different, so you can prepare for anything, and start to make changes in your own life, in ministry, and in society, for the better. How to see the church of the future is TryTank’s foresight training and is led by Lorenzo Lebrija.
Creation Care Course Week 3: Thursday 21 October, 19:30-21:00, zoom. Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAkcu6opz4rEtFamJIs6M2cAlvzTQmJT0a_. This 4-week Creation Care Course is a unique collaboration between Chester Diocese, HeartEdge, Melanesian Mission UK and Southampton University. The environment is God’s gift to everyone. We have a responsibility towards each other to look after God’s Creation. Tackling climate change is a vital part of this responsibility.
Making UK Connections: Voices of the Pacific – Pacific arts & culture – Thursday 21 October - online 20:00 BST / 7am Pacific Time (22/10), zoom. Register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/making-connections-voices-from-the-indigenous-pacific-tickets-173884562407. A panel of artists and performers talk about Pacific arts and culture plus the impact climate change has had on artist livelihoods in the Pacific.
Transforming Effectiveness: Tuesday 26 October, 10:00 – 11:30 BST. Register here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/transforming-effectiveness-tickets-189299799797. Time to discuss the possible provision of new services for worshipping communities including HR, payroll, bookkeeping and administration. What can you expect from the workshop? We will be using the time to discuss the possible provision of new services for worshipping communities in the following areas. These have been identified from the initial research that took place with hundreds of lay and ordained leaders in the spring of 2021. This is a Church of England workshop, with members of HeartEdge.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Emmylou Harris - Here I Am.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)