Gants Hill: Vortex

Vortex by Wolfgang Buttress can be found at Gants Hill and has been described as an “abstracted egg” which is designed to represent regeneration and new life. Together with Fr Benjamin Wallis (St Georges Barkingside), I undertook an art project documenting the regeneration of the area. This piece of public art was originally intended as part of the regeneration work but as a result of delays was only installed some time after the completion of the project.

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Bobby West Trio & Dwight Trible - In the Beginning God.

OPEN for music

OPEN is a fresh expression of church in Gants Hill (St George’s Barkingside). Today's OPEN session featured Tom and Simon on lead guitar and bass playing rock and blues, ably supplemented on a couple of tunes by our resident jazz pianist Keith. OPEN sessions regularly feature art, conversation, games, meditations (projected), music, poetry, photography and refreshments. They are generally as interactive as we can make them, although with the fine music Tom and Simon were making this session was more of an extended and intimate jam session.

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Cream - Sunshine Of Your Love.

Windows on the world (197)

Gants Hill, 2012

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Athlete - Flying Over Bus Stops.

OPEN meditation

For today's OPEN session I wrote a new meditation and put together a multi-media presentation using photographs I had taken at St George's Barkingside and around Gants Hill. Here are stills of the multi-media meditation:

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Tim Buckley - I Must Have Been Blind.

Windows on the world (179)

Gants Hill, 2011

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Tom Waits - Talking At The Same Time.

OPEN

All are welcome to the first OPEN session at St George's Barkingside, from 4pm on Sunday 30 October.

  

OPEN is a fresh expression for Gants Hill and beyond which aims to OPEN the church space, welcoming people into that space to engage with a range of social and creative activities such as art, conversation, dance, games, meditations, music, photography, prayer and refreshments.

In this way, not simply to OPEN the doors of the church to all who come but also to be OPEN and responsive to the interests and abilities of people in what happens within the space. OPEN will be an opportunity to welcome people in Christ’s name and with his free undirecting Spirit, into sacred space but on an OPEN basis without making specific demands or holding specific agendas.

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Elbow - Open Arms.

Gants Hill Art Project (10)

The regeneration work at Gants Hill is now complete and so this will be the final post in this series. Fr. Benjamin Wallis and I will continue our painting and photography sessions but not to document the Gants Hill regeneration. Some of the photographs from this series have been exhibited at St Pauls Goodmayes and will go on to the next commission4mission exhibition before possibly being shown at St Georges Barkingside.

The £7.2m Transport for London scheme has taken 18 months and the Mayor of London encouraged local people to celebrate the project’s completion with a three-day festival over the past weekend. Boris Johnson unveiled a commemorative plaque and toured the area, meeting local business people.

An open-air arts and crafts market was in Gants Hill across the three days with a range of stalls including handcrafted items, artwork, unique gifts and fashion designs. On Sunday, there was a Gants Hill relaunch with music and street entertainers. The free event had childrens’ activities including face painting, stilt walkers and much more.

The three-day celebration was organised by Redbridge Council and part funded by the Gants Hill Business Partnership.

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Mavis Staples - Wrote A Song For Everyone.

Our Community Art Exhibition (2)

I've been preparing the Windows on the world photographs that I will be exhibiting in the Our Community Art Exhibition at St Paul's Goodmayes next week. The photographs were all taken in and around Gants Hill as part of the monthly painting and photography session that I have with Benjamin Wallis, Vicar of St George's Barkingside, to document the current regeneration of Gants Hill.

I will be exhibiting these photographs in old church noticeboards which are suggestive of the former things which are being removed in order that regeneration can come but are also an indication that redundant objects can be recycled to acquire a different existence. The photographs are pinned like notices within the boards but, instead of providing factual, written information, offer the ambiguity of visual images seen through a variety of frames.

Each photograph in the Windows on the world series features a foreground object providing a frame for what can be viewed beyond. By framing what is beyond, the photograph acts as a window on a part of our world and at the same time signals the presence of the beyond, thereby also acting as a window onto the divine in a way the way similar to that achieved by icons. Exhibiting the photographs in noticeboards adds an additional window through which they are to be viewed.

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Victoria Williams - This Moment.

Windows on the world (119)

Guadalest, 2010

A selection of Windows on the world photographs from the Gants Hill Art Project are being exhibited next week at St Paul's Goodmayes as part of the Our Community Art Exhibition.

The Our Community Art Exhibition will be open Monday 20th to Sunday 26th September from 10 am to 2 pm. Light refreshments will be available. On the final day, Sunday 26th, opening times will be extended to 4 pm to coincide with the Our Community Festival itself.

The exhibition will also feature collages on the themes of people and places and visitors will be able to see the permanent artworks commissioned for St Paul's Goodmayes.

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The Innocence Mission - The Happy Mondays.

Gants Hill Arts Project (9)

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Brandon Flowers - Crossfire.

Gants Hill Arts Project (8)

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Beverley Knight - Change is Gonna Come.