commission4mission's 'Reflection' exhibition

 

Classical, modern and contemporary art and architecture beautifully combine for 'Reflection' commission4mission’s fourth group exhibition in the setting of St Stephen Walbrook (39 Walbrook, London EC4N 8BN). Tuesday 6 – Friday 16 September (Weekdays 10am – 4pm, Wednesdays 11am – 3pm).

An exhibition reception (6.30pm) and commission4mission’s AGM (5.30pm) will be held on Tuesday 6 September. The exhibition launch reception, to which all are welcome, will include a talk by writer, broadcaster and commentator Richard D. North. Richard describes himself as “a complicated conservative, and a bit hippy and arty round the edges, with an increasing interest in the idea of spirituality.”

Our secretary, Rev Jonathan Evens, will give an illustrated talk at 1pm (repeated at 5pm) on Wednesday 14 September at St Stephen Walbrook entitled ‘Congruity and controversy: exploring issues for contemporary commissions.’ Modern commissions by Henry Moore, Patrick Heron, Hans Coper and Andrew Varah at St Stephen Walbrook bring into focus some of the key issues and questions regarding modern or contemporary commissions. Jonathan will explore these issues in his talk, which will be in the context of the ‘Reflection’ exhibition.

The theme of the show will be ‘Reflection’ and, as in previous years, will feature a wide variety of work from longstanding and new members. ‘Reflection’ is intended as a broad theme open to wider interpretation. Our artists showcase their individual engagements with this theme and we hope that the range and variety of work, both in terms of content and media, will give pleasure and prompt reflection.

Exhibiting artists include: Hayley Bowen, Harvey Bradley,Irina Bradley, Christopher Clack, Mary Davey, Valerie Dean, Jonathan Evens,Terry Ffyffe, Rob Floyd, Maurizio Galia,Michael Garaway, John Gentry, Clorinda Goodman, Barbara Harris, Tim Harrold,Anthony Hodgson, Mark Lewis, David Millidge, Janet Roberts, Henry Shelton,Sergiy Shkanov and Peter Webb.

Reflection:

• The throwing back by a body or surface of light, heat, or sound without absorbing it;
• An amount of light, heat, or sound that is reflected by a body or surface;
• An image seen in a mirror or shiny surface;
• A thing that is a consequence of or arises from something else;
• A thing bringing discredit to someone or something;
• Serious thought or consideration;
• An idea about something, especially one that is written down or expressed;
• The conceptual operation of inverting a system or event with respect to a plane, each element being transferred perpendicularly through the plane to a point the same distance the other side of it.

Reflection: consideration; contemplation; idea; impression; meditation; observation; opinion; rumination; view; absorption; cerebration; cogitation; deliberation; imagination; musing; pensiveness; speculation; study; brainwork; pondering.

commission4mission’s Chair, Peter Webb, says: “We are very fortunate to be able to exhibit regularly at St Stephen Walbrook. The exhibition always attracts a great deal of attention in the City. As before, interpretation of the theme is up to individual artists, and no doubt we will have the usual amazing variety and originality in the work submitted.”

A gift of 10 per cent of the proceeds from sales will be donated to the charity Oasis. commission4mission has made Oasis our charity of choice, meaning that charitable giving will be exclusively to Oasis for the time being.

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Late, Late Service - Resurrection Day.

'Gift' exhibition reception

Tonight we held a well-attended opening night reception for the ‘Gift’ exhibition.

I said: 'Welcome to St Stephen Walbrook and welcome to ‘Gift’, commission4mission’s third exhibition here in the stunning blend of old and new art and architecture to be found at St Stephen Walbrook which draws significant numbers of tourists and other visitors year in and year out. The reordering of the church undertaken in the 1980s sensitively introduced significant examples of modern art (altar by Henry Moore and kneelers by Patrick Heron) within this Wren masterpiece, which also contains significant woodwork and carving by William Newman.

Newman’s dark wood panelling provides a dramatic backdrop to the regular programme of contemporary art exhibitions that the church will now host. For these, we partner with either established art societies (such as the National Society of Painters, Sculptors & Printmakers or the Society of Catholic Artists) or artists with an interest in St Stephen Walbrook and our spirituality. In 2016 our programme will feature solo shows by the stuckist artist Joe Machine, artist-priest Alan Everett, Brazilian artist Kim Poor, and group shows by the National Society and commission4mission.

commission4mission’s ‘Gift’ exhibition anticipates the traditional season of giving associated with the Christian festival of Christmas, but is intended as a broad theme open to wider interpretation. Our artists showcase their individual engagements with this theme and so, while, as you view the exhibition you will certainly see images exploring the giving involved Christ’s incarnation and crucifixion, you will also see a wide range of other interpretations of our theme including reflections on gifts such faith, reflection, choice, hindsight, creativity, intercession, identity and revelation, together with meditations on our abuse as humans of the gifts we have been given. We hope that the range and variety of work, both in terms of content and media, will give pleasure and prompt reflection.

commission4mission seeks to encourage churches to commission contemporary art and Rob Floyd is one of our artists who has experienced particularly significant opportunities in making the Stations of the Cross cycle for Manchester Cathedral and Stations of the Resurrection cycle for Liverpool Cathedral. We have therefore invited him to reflect on those experiences and opportunities with us today. Rev. Rachel Mann, Poet in Residence at Manchester Cathedral has said, “I heartily recommend that if you want to understand a little more about the applications of the word ‘Art’ in our language, spend time in communion with Rob Floyd’s paintings. You will be rewarded.” We will, I am sure, be similarly rewarded by what Rob has to share with us tonight.'

Rob reflected on his experiences and opportunities emphasising the importance of holding face-to-face discussions with churches and cathedrals about exhibition and commission opportunities. He spoke too about the energy and pressures of large series of works together with the sense that works taken on a life of their own once displayed. His cycle of Stations of the Resurrection are due for completion by Easter 2016 and three works from this series are included in the ‘Gift’ exhibition.

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Bruce Cockburn - Gifts.

franciscan magazine articles

An article I wrote for franciscan magazine can now be viewed online at http://www.franciscans.org.uk/franciscan/franciscan-january-2013. 'Facets of faith' explores the gospel in modern and contemporary art and is complemented by articles written by others associated with commission4mission for this special Arts themed edition. These include: 'Father Andrew the artist: Plaistow friar, who never lost his boyhood enthusiasm for all things artistic' by Steven Saxby and 'Re-imagining the gospels' by Helen Gheorghiu Gould.

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Leonard Cohen - Famous Blue Raincoat.

Manipulative inter-action on behalf of forgotten communities

Great to see Steven Saxby and Chris Connelley featuring in a story from The Guardian about community organising.

Steven Saxby says his church joined in December to benefit from the network of organisations that Citizens UK engages with in the field of social action. He wants to help immigrants who have been in this country for years, but are paid below the minimum wage and have no permanent right to remain.

Chris Connelley came on the Citizens UK training course because he is a founder of Take Action for Seven Kings and has been campaigning against the closure of Goodmayes library. He has used the techniques taught to good effect:

"The threat to Goodmayes library has been lifted as Redbridge council has removed it from its cuts prospectus after the most massive local campaign – 5,000 signatures in three weeks. I used a number of the methods and ideas from the course. Our sense is that they worked and established powerful new relationships ... which we are all now resolved to build upon and strengthen."

Paul Trathen has said recently that he remains unconverted about Community Organising, liking the idea but being unsure that it resists becoming bullying. I'm reminded on the subtitle to my Dad's second book which was, A Study in Manipulative Inter-action on Behalf of a "Forgotten Community". As a community work pioneer in the UK, he was upfront about what he was doing and took some flack for his honesty in saying it. The reason it is necessary, however, is because the complex and sometimes arcane nature of local and national government processes mean that it is incredibly difficult for those who are already disadvantaged in society to have their voice heard. The idea of community organising, as I understand it, is to train people in understanding and using those processes for the benefit of the local community which does, inevitably mean a degree of confrontation and manipulation through those processes. This is, to my mind, an important element of challenging those who hold power.
 
The Seven Kings and Newbury Park Resident's Association campaign to resist the closure of the toilets in Seven Kings Park reaches its climax tonight as our Secretary, Audrey Shorer, and Membership Secretary, Mark Kennedy (who has organised the campaign), speak at the Council meeting where the budget (and its programme of cuts) are to be finalised.   
 
The campaign, which has seen close to 1,000 signatures collected for its petition over five days, is featured in the current edition of the Ilford Recorder. Mark Kennedy has said: “The response we have had from the local community had been fantastic.”
 
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The Killers - Smile Like You Mean It.