Between: burns

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Wednesday, 19 June 2024

Artlyst: Lunar Lullabies, David Lock and Concrete Dreams Three Shows To See At Firstsite

My latest exhibition review for Artlyst is of three shows at Firstsite - Lunar Lullabies, David Lock and Concrete Dreams:

"‘Lunar Lullabies’ shows how science, art and imagination have intertwined over the centuries to shape culture and our collective fascination with distant galaxies. Matthew Turner – whose drawing of Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic woman to travel into space, is included in the exhibition – has written of his excitement when first seeing a rocket: ‘Standing there excited, in awe, overwhelmed by power, scale and raw materials, I felt small.’ It is this sense of awe and wonder that the exhibition principally communicates, feelings also clearly generated by Turner’s ‘Saturn V 1’ and ‘Vostock I’.

Turner is one of several artists included here who are members of the International Association of Astronomical Artists (IAAA) the world’s only guild of artists dedicated to creating images of space. Essex-based IAAA artist Jackie Burns aims to inspire people with the awe and beauty of space and astronomy. She led some of the workshops to develop the exhibition and has just become President of the IAAA. Her depiction of one of the most iconic spaceships in human history ‘Saturn V, Apollo 11, on Crawler to Launchpad 39A’ consists of different-sized circles of various colours that slowly reveal the image the longer you look."

Last year Jackie Burns exhibited at St Andrew's Wickford - see here and here. She has recently said "I’m always amazed at the unexpected directions my journey as a visual artist takes me. Last year I exhibited my artwork inside a local church and as a direct result of that I’m currently exhibiting in the largest public art gallery in Essex. Never give up…"

Interviews -

Monthly diary articles -

Articles/Reviews -

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Nirvana - Rainbow Chaser.

Monday, 15 April 2024

Jackie E. Burns and Lunar Lullabies

Jackie E. Burns is a Fellow of the International Association of Astronomical Artists and seeks to foster the inquisitive joy of art and astronomy while inspiring people to the awe and beauty of space and astronomy. As an astronomical artist, she specializes in terrestrial and extra-terrestrial landscapes. She also creates celtic and medieval illuminations. She is a workshop designer, gives illustrated lectures and is an art exhibition curator for conferences and conventions.

Jackie exhibited at St Andrew's Wickford last year and now her work is to feature in a major exhibition of space art at Firstsite. Lunar Lullabies will offer a galactic journey through 200 years of space exploration.

Join Colchester’s own Jane Taylor on a celestial adventure, inspired by her timeless poem, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” Embark on a cosmic odyssey as Firstsite commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Essex writer’s passing and trace the fascinating legacy of the beloved nursery rhyme and its influence on modern-day comics and video games.

Discover how science, art and imagination have intertwined over the centuries to shape our culture and fuel our dreams of distant galaxies.

Lunar Lullabies will showcase stunning artworks which explore space and science, alongside historical artefacts and contemporary pop culture nods. Explore objects ranging from meteorites and asteroid rocks to Lego Star Wars sets up close, discover all about humanity’s ‘giant leap’ to the moon and get lost in Peter Elson’s fantastical visions of space.

Families will have the opportunities to bring their own cosmic creations to life, transforming the gallery into an immersive playscape of imagination and discovery. From interactive space objects, and immersive extra-terrestrial landscapes to sculptures of robots and rockets, there’s something for every space enthusiast, young and old. Join this stellar voyage, where art, science, and dreams collide. Your journey to the stars awaits!

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David Bowie - Space Oddity.

Sunday, 21 May 2023

The Overview Effect and One Beautiful World

Here's the reflection I shared at today's music event in Spring of Hope Church for the One Beautiful World Arts Festival:

The main publicity image for the One Beautiful World Arts Festival is a painting of the world as seen from space by Jackie Burns, whose inspirational exhibition of space art is currently at St Andrew’s Wickford.

The first time that astronauts were able to photograph the whole Earth from space came with the first manned mission to the moon on Apollo 8. On December 24, 1968, astronauts Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot Jim Lovell, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders entered lunar orbit. William Anders captured an iconic picture of the Earth that day which came to be known as Earthrise. Anders said, “We came all this way to explore the Moon, and the most important thing is that we discovered the Earth.”

What Anders experienced is called The Overview Effect; a shift in awareness by astronauts seeing Earth from outer space as a “tiny, fragile ball of life.” The term was coined by author Frank White in 1987 in his book, The Overview Effect — Space Exploration and Human Evolution.

Apollo 8 astronaut Jim Lovell said: “The vast loneliness up here of the Moon is awe inspiring, and it makes you realize just what you have back there on Earth. The Earth from here is a grand oasis to the big vastness of space.”

Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins said: “The thing that really surprised me was that it [Earth] projected an air of fragility. And why, I don’t know. I don’t know to this day. I had a feeling it’s tiny, it’s shiny, it’s beautiful, it’s home, and it’s fragile.”

Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong said: “It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn’t feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.”

Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin said: “From the distance of the moon, Earth was four times the size of a full moon seen from Earth. It was a brilliant jewel in the black velvet sky.”

Songwriter Julie Gold wrote a song called ‘From a distance’:

“From a distance, the world looks blue and green
And the snow-capped mountains white
From a distance, the ocean meets the stream
And the eagle takes to flight
From a distance, there is harmony
And it echoes through the land
It's the voice of hope
It's the voice of peace
It's the voice of every man”

The Overview Effect has inspired hope as it ‘has been turning astronauts into environmental advocates ever since the first person in space, Yuri Gagarin, marvelled at the planet from orbit in 1961. “People of the world, let us safeguard and enhance this beauty — not destroy it,” the Soviet cosmonaut said upon his return. A half-century later, ex-NASA astronaut José Hernández said that the view aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in 2009 turned him into “an instant treehugger.” As a result, in recent years, astronauts, including the former NASA astronaut Mae Jemison and French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, have spoken at international climate negotiations, bringing their big-picture perspective with them.

Paintings like those of Jacqui Burns or photos like Earthrise can give us a sense of the Overview Effect and grow in us a greater concern for the one beautiful world we inhabit. For those of us who are religious, our concern for the planet should be heightened by our understanding that it was wonderfully created by God and that human beings have been given the task of caring for it by our Creator. As Julie Gold puts it in her song God is watching us from a distance and, therefore, watching how we care for the world he has made.

But regardless of whether God’s creation of the world features on our radar or not, the Overview Effect – that sense of the beauty and fragility of our wonderful world – should compel us, as has been the case for so many astronauts, to want to address the climate emergency and save our one beautiful world from the jeopardy into which our human exploitation of resources has placed it.

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Ayo-Ayo: Kabiyesi.

Tuesday, 25 April 2023

Concert, exhibition & artist talk

The summer term exhibition and Unveiled programme at St Andrew's Wickford begins this week.

From Easter to the summer, there is a feast of The Arts coming to Wickford and Runwell, beginning with the summer programme for 'Unveiled' at St Andrew's Wickford and continuing with the 'One Beautiful World' Arts Festival, which has churches in Wickford and Runwell as its venues. Art, collections, dance, music, photography, poetry. Art trails, concerts, exhibitions, performance, readings, talks. Full details can be found at https://joninbetween.blogspot.com/2023/04/feast-of-arts-in-wickford-and-runwell.html and https://onebeautifulworldfestival.blogspot.com/.

This feast of arts events begins with:

One Beautiful World: An exhibition of space art by Jackie E. Burns
26 April – 23 July 2023
St Andrew’s Church , 11 London Road, Wickford SS12 0AN

Hear Jackie speak about her work at ‘Unveiled’ – the arts & performance evenings in St Andrew’s Wickford - Friday 28 April, 7.00 pm.

During the One Beautiful World Arts Festival this exhibition will be on show from 16-26 May.

and

FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 2023 AT 2 PM – 4 PM
One Voice Choir Community Performance
St Andrew's Church (11 London Road, Wickford SS12 0AN)

One Voice Choir community performance presented by The Grange Care Home. Please come along for an afternoon of songs performed by residents of The Grange care home. Free entry. All welcome. Cream Tea at the end of the performance.

This term's Unveiled programme begins on 28 April with Jackie Burns speaking about her space art. We continue with a talk on collecting by artist and curator George Morl (12 May), a concert by Simon Law (26 May), a talk on the Plotlands by Ken Porter (9 June), a talk on the Memorial Park by Kim Oakes (23 June), a talk on art in worship by Jonathan Evens (7 July), and an Open Mic Night on 27 July.

The One Beautiful World Arts Festival includes the following: Art Trail - 20 May; Concerts - Six Hands Together (12 May), Emma-Marie Kabanova (14 May), Yardarm Folk Orchestra (19 May), Festival Music Event (21 May), Simon Law (26 May); Dance - Steven Turner (13 May); Exhibitions - Tim Harrold (12-26 May), George Morl collection (12-14 May), Jackie Burns (16-26 May), Compass Photography (19-20 May), Wickford Christian Centre (25 & 26 May); and a Poetry Reading (20 May).

We also have the Allegro Choir in concert on the evening of Saturday 24 June (this will be a ticketed event - more information to follow) plus two Quiet Days on 31 May (Creation) and 1 July (poetry and prayer).

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David Bowie - Space Oddity.

Friday, 4 November 2022

Unveiled: Jackie E. Burns in Conversation

This evening at Unveiled we heard from Jackie E. Burns about her work in Space Art fostering the inquisitive joy of art and astronomy, involvement in the International Association of Astronomical Artists, and involvement in community art projects in Essex.

Jackie is an astronomical artist specializing in terrestrial and extra-terrestrial landscapes. She also creates celtic and medieval illuminations. She is a workshop designer, gives illustrated lectures and is an art exhibition curator for conferences and conventions.

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David Bowie - Ashes To Ashes.

Wednesday, 21 January 2015

commission4mission's January Newsletter

commission4mission's latest newsletter includes several exciting announcements and new partnerships:

New Day Dawning by Colin Joseph Burns

"The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy." Psalm 65:8

'This month we announce three new developments which we believe will serve to enhance the work of commission4mission in the coming year.

Good news! The Charity Commission has approved commission4mission’s application to become a registered charity. In order to complete the process, we need to hold a general meeting at which we agree our charitable objects with members.

We plan to do this as part of a wider Arts Event and Service to take place at St Stephen’s Church, 39 Walbrook, London EC4N 8BN on Saturday 14 March from 1pm to 4.30 pm. All are warmly invited.

The programme will include drawing workshops using various media, a series of on-screen meditations to dip into, and conclude with a service of thanksgiving celebrating the arts. Please rsvp if you would like to attend.

This year presents a new challenge for c4m’s secretary Rev’d Jonathan Evens, who is to become Priest for Partnership Development at two central London churches. He will be Priest-in-Charge at St Stephen Walbrook and also an Associate Minister at St Martin-in-the-Fields.

While Jonathan has said it will be a wrench to leave his post at St John’s Seven Kings and his friends in the Redbridge Deanery, he recognises that this new role offers a unique opportunity which involves all of his key interests in ministry: ‘This will include forming partnerships between the two churches as well as with businesses in the City of London and cultural organisations around Trafalgar Square. Both churches have significant cultural programmes and a history of artistic commissions, and I hope to play a part in promoting and developing their artistic engagement,’ he says.

We congratulate Jonathan on his new appointment, and hope his experience and continuing involvement with commission4mission will assist him in this aim.

Oasis Trust to be c4m’s chosen charity for the next three years, subject to annual review. Since 2009 we have donated ten per cent of the proceedings from commissions and sales to a different charity each year, usually one that supports work with children and young people. This year we were able to make a gift to Oasis Trust, and we now look forward to developing an ongoing relationship which will be of mutual benefit. While supporting Oasis, we believe this partnership will help to broaden the scope of commission4mission and open up further opportunities for our artist members.

St ations of the Holocaust by Jean Lamb at Coventry Cathedral.

Hand carved and painted sculptures on the theme of Jesus’ last hours juxtaposed with scenes of the Jewish Holocaust
more...

Monday 16th February to Good Friday 3rd April 2015. Preview from 5pm with official opening at 6pm after Evening Prayer.

Coventry Cathedral, 1 Hill Top, Coventry, CV1 5AB. Tel 024 7652 1200

We hope many Artist Members and Associates will be able to make the event highlighted above at St Stephen Walbrook on Saturday 14 March, when we will revisit c4m’s aims and purpose as agreed by the Charity Commission. It is a great opportunity to get together, and promises to be a good afternoon.

We would like to hear from Members who may be interested in organising a c4m event in their locality – in a cathedral, a church, gallery or elsewhere. In particular we are looking for a church willing to host a Big Draw event in October, and for Members to volunteer to take part.'

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Colin Burns - Linger Here.

Friday, 12 July 2013

Arts Evening for the Billericay Art Trail

Next Saturday I will be giving a poetry reading as part of an Arts Evening for the Billericay Art Trail. A great, varied programme including poetry, music, digital projection, storytelling and dance has been arranged for the evening at St. Mary Magdalen Billericay.

I am particularly looking forward to hearing Tim Cunningham again, as he has read previously at several events I have organised. Billericay-based Cunningham has been called the poet of good endings and his apposite phrases serve to illuminate the everyday encounters which characterise his poetry. He has had four collections of his poetry published: Don Marcelino's Daughter (2001), Unequal Thirds (2006), Kyrie (2008), and most recently Seige, published to coincide with his 70^th birthday and consisting of a selection of visceral, roots poems taken from his three previous selections with a sprinkling of new work.

My fellow commission4mission member, Colin Burns, is also taking part. Combining classical and popular influences, guitarist/singer-songwriter Burns will play tracks from his debut album Emerald & Gold. This project brings together compositions from many years with the painter-turned-performer fusing instrumental dexterity and melodic poetry.

The evening also includes Reflection Dance, storytellers Colin Taylor and Pat Roberts, animations from Dezadie, plus images from the Big Draw event earlier in the day at Norsey Wood. The evening starts at 7:30pm.

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Dezadie - Cyber Dancer.

Tuesday, 28 May 2013

Performance: An evening of music and poetry

The final event in this year's Barking Episcopal Area Arts Festival was Performance: An evening of music and poetry at Holy Trinity Hatfield Heath. I opened the evening with a selection of poems that included The Mark and Worthship. Colin Burns performed songs and instrumentals from his Emerald and Gold album, as well as new material. Jane Grell read from her newly published Collected Poems Praise Songs. The first half of the programme was brought to a resounding conclusion by the Brass of St Mary's (Sheering) that included both Be Still and Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines. Mal Grosch made a humorous start to the second half of the programme with poems from his new collection entitled Blackfriars. A choir from Holy Trinity and St Mary's reprised songs from the Roger Jones musical David. The evening's varied and thoroughly enjoyable entertainment concluded with songs, a poem and a story by Jane Grell.

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Mal Grosch - Sweet England.

Saturday, 25 May 2013

Paintings, photographs and poetry

I am currently showing a selection of works on paper plus a selection of Windows on the World photographs as part of the commission4mission exhibition at 20 Broadwalk, Harlow Town Centre CM20 1HT as part of the Barking Episcopal Area Arts Festival. The exhibition continues until Monday 27th May (10.00am - 4.00pm).

I will then be giving a poetry reading as part of Performance, an evening of poetry and music, 7.30pm at Holy Trinity Hatfield Heath also on Monday 27th May. Colin Burns, the Holy Trinity and 6 Villages Choir, Sheering Church brass band plus the poets Jane Grell and Mal Grosch are also contributing to Performance.

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Colin Burns - I Wait For You.

Monday, 15 April 2013

Blackfriars - Mal Grosch

Mal Grosch's latest collection of poems is entitled Blackfriars and derives from his fascination for the area. He writes:

"I go to a church near Blackfriars and I am often in and out the area. It is a sort of village near St Paul’s if you look at it in a romantic way. I did a bit of reading up on the area and took some photos. The idea of an anthology slowly came to fruition. It is hopefully an entertaining read as well as having a bit of gravitas; a mixture of fun and the profound."

"Take one of the turnings off Ludgate Hill near St. Paul’s Cathedral. Have a wander round. Stroll along Carter Lane and notice the faded almost Mediterranean exterior of the YMCA. Say a prayer
in St. Andrews if it is open. Have a beer in the Cockpit. Tell them I sent you."

As the mist

As the mist,
The fag smoke of the morning,
Rises from the river;
A gull flies over Puddle Dock.
So will we rise
In the vaporous dawn
To be with the saints in Heaven.

For who is this devil
This upstart king
Of the raucous
Playing his flimsy role
As lord of the decaying Earth?
Short is the time he vaunts
In his invisible reign.

Mal plays guitar and sings in a small band called Over The Hill. They are a duo or trio playing country gospel, a few old standards and vintage British and American pop songs. He has three solo CDs and also plays guitar in the dance band at Cecil Sharp House in Camden, London, home of the English Folk Dance and Song Society most Thursday evenings. As a caller, he does evenings of barn dancing which can include English/Scots/Irish/US and line dances with some worship dance.

He will be reading a selection of his poems as part of an evening of music and poetry for the Arts Festival for the Barking Episcopal Area and Heart 4 Harlow Festival. This performance evening will be at Holy Trinity Hatfield Heath, 7.30pm, on Monday 27th May and will also feature, among other items, music from Colin Burns and poetry from Jane Grell and myself.

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Mal Grosch - The River.

Friday, 30 November 2012

Peter Nevland: Spoken Groove

Peter Nevland never planned to be a writer. Some words popped into his head freshman year at the University of Texas and he made the wonderful mistake of writing them down. Eight years and a couple hundred “writings” later he left his engineering salary at Motorola to become a full-time writer and performer.

In his spoken groove lyrics Nevland unleashes his life with candour, hilarious wit and heart-changing passion. His wild and untamed performance style has been said to leave people glued to their seats, jaws hanging loosely, wondering how one man can remember so many words.

Nevland has collaborated with commission4mission artist Colin Burns on two tracks for Colin's debut cd Emerald&Gold. One of these tracks ‘For The King’ is included on a new music sampler from Resound Media which can be downloaded for free here: http://noisetrade.com/yourchurchevent.

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Peter Nevland - In Love With Your Sound.

Tuesday, 22 May 2012

Run with the Fire performances and art talks

We had a great launch night for the 'Run with the Fire' exhibition. It was a packed event with some memorable performances in the context of a stimulating and eclectic show. I read The Mark, a Mark of the Cross meditation and my Run with the Fire poem:

Stripped down - free of weights and encumbrance -

muscles taut and trained, eyes on the prize -

on track, no turning back - forgetting what is behind,

straining toward what is ahead, winged feet

bearing tongues of flame - inextinguishable flickers

of hope, the torch passed on through generations,

message of victory - peace, goodwill to all.

How lovely are the feet - run red-raw, blistered

and calloused, dust-encrusted yet lithe as leopards

and fleet as foxes - which pound the mountains,

hills, valleys and plains, echoing through history

from Marathon to London via Jerusalem.

It was great to read poetry to an audience which included Steve Turner, whose poetry and music journalism - including Up To Date and Hungry for Heaven among others - I've appreciated greatly over the years.

The Launch Night provided the first opportunity to see the exhibition which includes ceramics, paintings and sculptures, together with a digital exhibition on Olympic/Pentecost themes. Performances by singer-songwriter and poet Malcolm Guite, artist-musician Colin Burns, musician-poet Steve Scott and performance poet Tamsin Kendrick added to the exploration of the exhibition's theme - running life's race with passion and spirit.

Tamsin Kendrick performed vibrant, earthy poems based on the parable of the Prodigal Son and Psalm 139, Steve Scott shared work in progress based on incidents from John's Gospel, Colin Burns played three pieces from his debut CD Emerald&Gold, while Malcolm Guite made a great job of linking themes from the artworks and other performances with poems from his sonnet sequence for the Church Year and from his CD Dancing through the fire.
I'll be giving a talk at the exhibition as part of a programme of art talks and painting demonstrations on Saturday 26th May:

Painting demonstration – Harvey Bradley, ongoing throughout the day. See Harvey work on a painting and discuss his approach with him.

The Spiritual Image in Modern Art - Mark Lewis, 11.30am. A broad overview of the spiritual impulse in the art forms of the modern world and their potential to turn our minds to higher things.

Run with the Fire – Steve Scott, 12.30pm. A talk about the ‘Run with the Fire’ project and DVD.

Stanley Spencer – A Visionary of our Time – Mark Lewis, 2.00pm. A talk which examines the life and work of one of Britain’s most renowned and eccentric 20th Century painters. The main themes include Spencer’s time as a war artist, and his extraordinary paintings which envision the Christian Gospels played out by the people in his beloved home town of Cookham.

Praying with our eyes open – Glenn Lowcock, 3.00pm. A talk on using images as an aid to prayer.

Emotional Tourist – Steve Scott, 4.00pm. What I am learning about art, life, spirituality, Trinity, and relational aesthetics from my travels in Bali and elsewhere.

Christian influences on modern & contemporary art – Jonathan Evens, 5.00pm. A broad overview of modern and contemporary art and artists which engage with Christianity.

The Run with the Fire exhibition is at the Strand Gallery (32 John Adam Street, London WC2N 6BP) and can be seen from 22nd - 27th May (11.00am - 6.00pm, Sunday 11.00am - 2.00pm), as part of the Pentecost Festival. The event listing for the exhibition and launch night can be found at: http://www.pentecostfestival.co.uk/ai1ec_event/run-with-the-fire-exhibition/?instance_id=873. Directions to the gallery are at: https://www.proudonline.co.uk/contact.aspx.

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Tamsin Kendrick - This City Needs A Hero.