My latest
article for
Seen and Unseen is entitled '
Rock ‘n’ roll’s long dance with religion'. The article explores how popular music conjures sacred space.:
'In
Faith, Hope and Carnage, his book of conversations with Seán O’Hagan,
Nick Cave said: “... Some music can ,,, lead us to a place where a fundamental spiritual shift of consciousness can happen. At best, it can conjure a sacred space.”
That’s because, as Elvis Presley stated during his ‘68 Comeback Special, "Rock and roll is basically just gospel music, or gospel music mixed with rhythm and blues". 'Following in the wake of key precursors such as Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Rock ‘n’ roll merged Blues (with its spiritual strand) and Country music (tapping its white gospel) while Soul music adapted much of its sound and content from Black gospel. For both, their gestures and movements, and sometimes the songs too, were adopted wholesale from Pentecostalism.'
My co-authored book
The Secret Chord explores aspects of a similar interplay between faith and music (and the Arts, more broadly). Posts related to the themes of The Secret Chord can be found
here.
Check out the following too to explore further:
My second
article 'Corinne Bailey Rae’s energised and anguished creative journey' explores inspirations in Detroit, Leeds and Ethiopia for
Corinne Bailey Rae’s latest album,
Black Rainbows, which is an atlas of capacious faith.
My third
article was an interview with musician and priest
Rev Simpkins in which we discussed how music is an expression of humanity and his faith.
My fourth
article was a guide to the Christmas season’s art, past and present. Traditionally at this time of year “great art comes tumbling through your letterbox” so, in this article, I explore the historic and contemporary art of Christmas.
My fifth
article was
'Finding the human amid the wreckage of migration'. In this article I interviewed
Shezad Dawood about his multimedia
Leviathan exhibition at
Salisbury Cathedral where personal objects recovered from ocean depths tell a story of modern and ancient migrations.
My sixth
article was '
The visionary artists finding heaven down here' in which I explored a tradition of visionary artists whose works shed light on the material and spiritual worlds.
My seventh
article was
'How the incomer’s eye sees identity' in which I explain how curating an exhibition for
Ben Uri Online gave me the chance to highlight synergies between ancient texts and current issues.
My eighth
article was
'Infernal rebellion and the questions it asks' in which I interview the author Nicholas Papadopulos about his book
The Infernal Word: Notes from a Rebel Angel.
My ninth
article was
'A day, night and dawn with Nick Cave’s lyrics' in which I review
Adam Steiner’s
Darker With The Dawn — Nick Cave’s Songs Of Love And Death and explore whether Steiner's rappel into Cave’s art helps us understand its purpose.
My 10th
article was
'Theresa Lola's poetical hope' about the death-haunted yet lyrical, joyful and moving poet for a new generation.
My 11th
article was
'How to look at our world: Aaron Rosen interview', exploring themes from Rosen's book
'What Would Jesus See: Ways of Looking at a Disorienting World'.
My 12th
article was
'Blake, imagination and the insight of God', exploring a new exhibition - '
William Blake's Universe at the
Fitzwilliam Museum - which focuses on seekers of spiritual regeneration and national revival.
My 13th
article 'Matthew Krishanu: painting childhood' was an interview with
Matthew Krishanu on his exhibition
'The Bough Breaks' at
Camden Art Centre.
My 14th
article was entitled
'Art makes life worth living' and explored why society, and churches, need the Arts.
My 15th
article was entitled
'The collective effervescence of sport's congregation' and explored some of the ways in which sport and religion have been intimately entwined throughout history
My 16th
article was entitled
'Paradise cottage: Milton reimagin’d' and reviewed the ways in which artist
Richard Kenton Webb is conversing with the blind poet in his former home (
Milton's Cottage, Chalfont St Giles).
My 17th
article was entitled
'Controversial art: how can the critic love their neighbour?'. It makes suggestions of what to do when confronted with contentious culture.
My 18th article was an
interview entitled
'Art, AI and apocalypse: Michael Takeo Magruder addresses our fears and questions'. In the interview the digital artist talks about the possibilities and challenges of artificial intelligence.
My 19th
article was entitled
'Dark, sweet and subtle: recovered music orientates us'. In the article I highlight alt-folk music seeking inspiration from forgotten hymns.
My 20th
article was entitled
'Revisiting Amazing Grace inspires new songs'. In the article I highlight folk musicians capturing both the barbaric and the beautiful in the hymn Amazing Grace and Christianity's entanglement with the transatlantic slave trade more generally.
My 21st
article was entitled '
James MacMillan’s music of tranquility and discord'. In the article I noted that the composer’s music contends both the secular and sacred.
