Visual Commentary on Scripture - 'Before the Deluge'

The fourth exhibition I have curated for the Visual Commentary on Scripture (VCS) is now live on the VCS website. 'Before the Deluge' is a series of climate-focused commentaries on Genesis 6 looking at 'The Flood' by Norman Adams, 'Noah in the Ark and a Church' by Albert Herbert, and 'Noah's Ark' by Sadao Watanabe.

My first exhibition for the VCS was 'Back from the Brink' on Daniel 4: 'Immediately the word was fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men, and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws.' (Daniel 4:33). In the exhibition I explore this chapter with William Blake's 'Nebuchadnezzar', 1795–c.1805, Arthur Boyd's 'Nebuchadnezzar's Dream of the Tree', 1969, and Peter Howson's 'The Third Step', 2001.

My second exhibition was 'A Question of Faith' and explored Hebrews 11 through the paintings of New Zealand artist Colin McCahon. McCahon is widely recognised as New Zealand’s foremost painter. Over 45 years, his work encompassed many themes, subjects and styles, from landscape to figuration to abstraction and an innovative use of painted text. His adaption of aspects of modernist painting to a specific local situation and his intense engagement with spiritual matters, mark him out as a distinctive figure in twentieth-century art.

My third exhibition was 'Fishers of People'. This exhibition uses Damien Hirst's 'Isolated Elements Swimming in the Same Direction for the Purpose of Understanding (Left) and (Right)', John Bellany's 'Kinlochbervie', and Paul Thek's 'Fishman in Excelsis Table' to discuss Matthew 4:12-22 and Mark 1:14-20. These artworks give us what is essentially a collage of the kingdom whereby we are invited to imagine the kingdom of God as a body of water in which Christians are immersed and through which they are raised.

The VCS is a freely accessible online publication that provides theological commentary on the Bible in dialogue with works of art. It helps its users to (re)discover the Bible in new ways through the illuminating interaction of artworks, scriptural texts, and commissioned commentaries. The virtual exhibitions of the VCS aim to facilitate new possibilities of seeing and reading so that the biblical text and the selected works of art come alive in new and vivid ways.

Each section of the VCS is a virtual exhibition comprising a biblical passage, three art works, and their associated commentaries. The curators of each exhibition select artworks that they consider will open up the biblical texts for interpretation, and/or offer new perspectives on themes the texts address. The commentaries explain and interpret the relationships between the works of art and the scriptural text.

Find out more about the VCS, its exhibitions and other resources through a short series of HeartEdge workshops introducing the VCS as a whole and exploring particular exhibitions with their curators. These workshops can be viewed here, here, here and here.

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The Fire Theft - Sinatra.

ArtWay.eu: A Powerful Resource for Faith and the Arts

ArtWay.eu has been hailed "a jewel in the crown of work in Christianity and the arts," and having come under the custodianship of the Kirby Laing Centre, the much-loved publication is entering an exciting new chapter in its story with the launch of a new website in September. 

Since its founding, ArtWay has published a rich library of materials and resources for scholars, artists, art enthusiasts and congregations concerned about linking art and faith. Founded by Marleen Hengelaar-Rookmaaker in 2009, ArtWay's significance is reflected in its designation as UNESCO digital heritage material in the Netherlands. 

In the video above, the ArtWay team recounts the history of this much-loved resource and looks ahead to an exciting future for ArtWay.

Back in 2018, I interviewed ArtWay founder Marleen Hengelaar-Rookmaaker for Artlyst on the legacy of ArtWay itself. I have written frequently for the site with my most recent piece being an interview with British artist Hannah Rose Thomas, who is also an author, human rights activist and a UNESCO PhD Scholar at the University of Glasgow. 

My visual meditations for ArtWay include work by María Inés Aguirre, Giampaolo Babetto, Marian Bohusz-Szyszko, Alexander de Cadenet, Christopher Clack, Marlene Dumas, Terry Ffyffe, Jake Flood, Antoni Gaudi, Nicola Green, Maciej Hoffman, Gwen John, Lakwena Maciver, S. Billie Mandle, Giacomo Manzù, Sidney Nolan, Michael Pendry, Maurice Novarina, Regan O'Callaghan, Ana Maria Pacheco, John Piper, Nicola Ravenscroft, Albert Servaes, Henry Shelton, Anna Sikorska, Alan Stewart, Jan Toorop, Andrew Vessey, Edmund de Waal and Sane Wadu.

My Church of the Month reports include: All Saints Parish Church, Tudeley, Aylesford Priory, Canterbury Cathedral, Chapel of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, Hem, Chelmsford Cathedral, Churches in Little Walsingham, Coventry Cathedral, Église de Saint-Paul à Grange-Canal, Eton College Chapel, Lumen, Metz Cathedral, Notre Dame du Léman, Notre-Dame de Toute Grâce, Plateau d’Assy,Romont, Sint Martinuskerk Latem, St Aidan of Lindisfarne, St Alban Romford, St. Andrew Bobola Polish RC Church, St. Margaret’s Church, Ditchling, and Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft, St Mary the Virgin, Downe, St Michael and All Angels Berwick and St Paul Goodmayes, as well as earlier reports of visits to sites associated with Marian Bohusz-Szyszko, Marc Chagall, Jean Cocteau, Antoni Gaudi and Henri Matisse.

Blogs for ArtWay include: Congruity and controversy: exploring issues for contemporary commissions; Ervin Bossanyi: A vision for unity and harmony; Georges Rouault and André Girard: Crucifixion and Resurrection, Penitence and Life Anew; Photographing Religious Practice; Spirituality and/in Modern Art; and The Spirituality of the Artist-Clown.

Interviews for ArtWay include: Matthew Askey, Sophie Hacker, Peter Koenig, David Miller, Belinda Scarlett and Hannah Rose Thomas. 

I have also reviewed: Art and the Church: A Fractious Embrace, Kempe: The Life, Art and Legacy of Charles Eamer Kempe and Jazz, Blues, and Spirituals for ArtWay.

Other of my writings for ArtWay can be found here.

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Otto Bam - The Gift. 

Galerie of Contemplation

The website www.galerie-of-contemplation.com shows fine art representations of themes from the Old and New Testaments. It presents the illustrated book 'THE BIBLE IN IMAGES' (Introduction, Images, Credits), published in Hamburg in May 2013. Further information on the critical response to the illustrated book can be found by clicking on Reviews.

"I found that the structure and the choice of topics from the books of the Bible really worked. Your selection of pictures and the way you put them together is quite excellent. It gives enjoyment and pleasure to read the Bible texts in connection with the pictures and, conversely, to look at and consider the pictures after having read the texts. I think that with this illustrated book you have managed a very nice redesign of a biblia pauperum, as many people today know neither the Biblical stories nor are they able to interpret the works of art depicting them. With this volume you offer a valuable aid in this respect." Principal Pastor Alexander Röder, Principal Church of St. Michael, Hamburg; Head of the Church Art Service

"I think that it is a particular achievement to have limited yourself to 82 works of art from a seemingly endless number of suitable candidates - these 82 works from the history of art in Europe. It requires extensive knowledge in this field and firm conviction in the selection. What would Europe's art look like without the Old and New Testaments? Almost impossible to conceive. The Christian West or, more precisely, its iconography, is a treasure that can never be fully exhausted." Prof. Wilhelm Hornbostel, former Director of the Museum of Art and Crafts, Hamburg; Chair of the Friends of Prussian Castles and Gardens, Berlin

"The pictures and texts draw you beyond a mere observation. A true book of meditation!" Helge Adolphsen, former Principal Pastor of St. Michael, Hamburg, and for many years President of the German Protestant 'Kirchentag'

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Mavis Staples & Levon Helm - You Got To Move.

Networks for Essex creatives

Bas-Arts-Index is a home for Basildon’s creatives to connect and collaborate. I've just recently joined - see my profile at https://bas-arts-index.com/Jonathan-Evens.

Here's how they describe themselves:

Our mission

We are Basildon's first interdisciplinary, artist-led directory/network. Our mission is to provide an online space for Basildons creative individuals, groups and organisations, born, living, working in or making work about the Basildon Borough. We hope to connect local creatives which in turn will generate activity, collaboration and to help support a cohesive local arts ecology.

Basildon as the borough currently includes: Basildon, Laindon, Langdon Hills, Pitsea, Vange, Billericay and Wickford.

Our values are:

• Collaborative: we believe in building a connected creative community across the borough, which starts with knowing who is out there, how to view their work and how to make contact. We hope to facilitate peer to peer support which is built on mutual aid and care.
• Interdisciplinary: we believe in the value of bringing together creatives working in all disciplines together at different points of their career.
• Artist-led: Bas-Arts-Index is run by its members, for its members, with a no pressure ethos. You can be listed on the website and receive the newsletter, or if you want to attend events, that's cool, or if you wish to be more actively involved in the running of the Index in a core group, thats great, but no pressure. Each level of engagement is valid and it is about what works best for you.

What we do

Our activities aim to offer creative development, discussion and to facilitate collaboration. Ongoing projects we currently run or aim to start running again include, Socials, Crits, Film Club and Playlist Project. For more info on the projects please click here.

Join Us!Bas-Arts-Index is open to creative individuals, groups, orgs, born, living, working in or making work about the Basildon Borough. We are interested in creatives working in all disciplines and levels of professional experience.

To become a member click here.

I've also joined Christian Creative Network Essex. The Thurrock branch launched in January 2020 and has a thriving community of Christian creatives in and around the South Essex area, run by branch leader Wendi Lee. This branch is part of Christian Creative Network UK, a national network of local branches with the mission to ‘Champion creativity in the body of Christ’.

This network gives Christian creative professionals and skilled amateurs, who are looking for like-minded Christian creatives, a local community, support and resources, so they grow in their creative pursuits, find local collaboration opportunities and grow their creative businesses.

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The Housemartins - He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother.

The Beauty Project

The Beauty Project is about sharing and exploring our experience of beauty during the pandemic. The project has been created by Rachel Weir, who writes:

'As the first lockdown began in March, like many people, I found myself spending far more time outdoors, often taking long walks with the dog, and catching glimpses of beauty everywhere along the way.

This autumn I began studying for an MA, learning about how beauty has been understood by the philosophers through the ages and just how hard a subject it is to pin down. Is beauty somehow ‘out there’ as Plato believed? Or is it entirely ‘in the eye of the beholder’ as Hume maintained? And what does it ‘do’ for us psychologically and spiritually when we have that mysterious experience of finding something beautiful?

As I read the many elaborate theories about how all this might work, I began wondering how people were actually experiencing beauty now, in this time of intense suffering and loss. I know how important beauty has been to me in these past six months and I wanted to see if I could gather together a record of how it has been for others.'

Rachel hopes the project will provide a place of hope and encouragement in these dark times and invites you to share an experience if you can.

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Gungor - Beautiful Things.

11 years of commission4mission

commission4mission was set up in 2009 and became a registered charity (Charity no. 1161109) in 2011. commission4mission ended its work at the end of March 2020.

Between March 2009 and March 2020 we undertook the following:

Art Trails: researched, published and launched a Church Art Trail for the Barking Episcopal Area; and Faith in the City Art Trail leaflet for the Corporation of London focusing on modern and contemporary artworks in the City Churches.

Commissions: 13 commissions at Queens Hospital Romford; All Saints Hutton; St Peter’s Harold Wood; St Edmund’s Tyseley; St Paul’s Goodmayes; St John’s Seven Kings; St Margaret’s Great Ilford; Christ Church ThamesView; and Dagenham Park Church of England School.

Exhibitions: Chelmsford Cathedral; St Laurence Upminster; the Pentecost, West Ham and Leytonstone Festivals; E17 and Leytonstone Art Trails; Holy Trinity with St Augustine of Hippo Leytonstone; St Martin-in-the-Fields; St Mary Magdalene Billericay; Tokarska Gallery; All Saints West Ham, Strand Gallery (Pentecost Festival), Harlow Town Centre (pop-up exhibition for Barking Episcopal Area Arts Festival); All Saints Woodford Wells, Wimbledon Library Gallery; Hornchurch and Romford libraries (H’Art Festival – the Barking Episcopal Area Arts Festival); St Stephen Walbrook; Norwich Cathedral; St Saviour’s St Albans; All Hallows by the Tower; Coventry Cathedral; and Holy Trinity Sloane Square.

Events: Launch event hosted by St Alban’s Romford; Art Talks by David Hawkins, Fr Rodrick Hingley, Graham Gould, Mark Lewis, Jonathan Evens, Glenn Lowcock, Steve Scott, Stephen Cottrell, Rob Floyd, Richard D. North, Wendy McTernan, Irina Bradley, Anthony Hodgson; Networking evenings on the themes of ‘Spirituality – the heartbeat of Art?’ and ‘Stations of the Cross’; Study Day on the theme of ‘Perspectives on commissioning Christian Art’ at Chelmsford Cathedral and on the value of public art at St Paul’s Harlow; Art workshop at St Paul’s Harlow which produced a design for a frieze; Art demonstration by Harvey Bradley; Big Draw workshop led by Mark Lewis, Francesca Ross and Peter Webb; Performance evenings featuring Colin Burns, Tim Cunningham, Jonathan Evens, Jane Grell, Malcolm Guite, Alan Hitching, Jenny Houghton, Tamsin Kendrick and Steve Scott; Arts in Worship event at St Stephen Walbrook where Hayley Bowen, John Gentry, Mark Lewis, Henry Shelton and Peter Webb led art workshops and a series of visual multi-media meditations were shown; and Art Walks led by Mark Lewis to churches on the Art Trail for the Barking Episcopal Area and Faith in the City Art Trail.

Our partners have included: HeartEdge; New Roots; Oasis Trust; and The Worship Cloud.

Projects: worked with CANA and Veritasse on Run with the Fire, an international art project for churches in the 2012 Olympic year – Run with the Fire DVD containing a digital exhibition and event guidance materials – resulting in events run using the digital exhibition in Aldersbrook, California, Devonport, Harlow, Leicester, London, Sacramento, Streatham and Woodford; supported Stations 2017, a collaboration between Mark Dean (artist), Lizzi Kew Ross (choreographer) and Lucy Newman Cleeve (curator).

Publications: commission4mission catalogue (2010); Condemned, a creative reflection for Lent illustrated with contemporary art works by seven member artists, accompanied by the words of Isaiah 53; articles by Jonathan Evens, Helen Gheorghui Gould and Steven Saxby to a special arts edition of franciscan magazine; three collections of images by commission4mission artists available for download via theworshipcloud.com: Mark of the Cross (images by Henry Shelton and words by Jonathan Evens), The Passion: Reflections and Prayers features pictures, poems and prayers by Henry Shelton and Jonathan Evens, and Stations of the Cross by Valerie Dean.

Retreats: Mark Lewis organised three retreats held at the Othona Community in Bradwell.

Services celebrating the Arts at St Peter’s Chapel, Bradwell, All Saints Goodmayes and St Stephen Walbrook; two Stations of the Cross services held at St Martin-in-the-Fields; Irina Bradley, Valerie Dean, Tim Harrold and Henry Shelton spoke on inspiration in a Bread for the World service at St Martin-in-the-Fields.

Websites: Webpage (http://commissionformission.blogspot.com/) and website (https://www.commission4mission.org/).

Since we began our work we have donated over £12,000 to the following charities: The Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields; The Salvation Army; The National Autistic Society; and PDSA (Peoples Dispensary for Sick Animals), Oasis Trust, Rejuvenate Worldwide, St Francis Hospice, Safer Places, Sightsavers International, Smile Train UK and Haven House Children’s Hospice.

Our artists have included: Alan Hitching; Ally Ashworth; Andrew Vessey; Anne Creasey; Caroline Nina Phillips; Caroline Richardson; Christopher Clack; Clorinda Goodman; Colin Joseph Burns; Danielle Lovesey; David Hawkins; Elizabeth Duncan Meyer; Francesca Ross; Gillian Barritt; Harvey Bradley; Hayley Bowen; Henry Shelton; Janet Roberts; Jim Insole; Jonathan Evens; Joy Rousell Stone; Ken Ashby; Mark Lewis; Mbeng Pouka; Michael Creasey; Nadiya Pavliv Tokarska; Peter Webb; Richard Paton; Rosalind Hore; Ross Ashmore; Sergiy Shkanov; Valerie Dean; Celia Ward; Robert Enoch; Adeliza Mole; Anthony Hodgson; Barbara Harris; Cathie Chappell; David Millidge; Deborah Harrison; Dorothy Morris; Eugenia Jacobs; Fiona Hunter-Boyd; Irene Novelli; Irina Bradley; Jacek Kulikowski; Jacqui Parkinson; Jean Lamb; John Gentry; Laura Grenci; Lewis Braswell; Lucy Crabtree; Lucy Thomasin Morrish; Markos Kampanis; Martin Cosgrove; Mary Flitcroft; MaryJean Donaghey; Maurizio Galia; Michael Garaway; Rob Floyd; Rodney Munday; Susan Latchford; Sy Baker; Tim Harrold, Peter Shorer, Terry Ffyffe, Elizabeth Deane, Lisa Cunningham, Colin Riches, Judy Goring, Monica Thornton, Dorothy Gager, Sonia Veness, Beverley Barr, Jonathan Peter Smith, Victoria Norton, Nicolas Young, Emma Horsfield, Christine Garwood, Alexander Walker, Mari Hayman, and Sarah Ollerenshaw.

Mark Lewis, Chairman of commission4mission writes:

‘Further to our AGM in October and the decision made there to withdraw from registration as a Charity with the Charity Commission, we have regrettably had to take the further decision to dissolve commission4mission in its present form. I would like to thank all our members who have contributed to exhibitions over the last ten years and helped to make events a success.

This decision has not been taken lightly. Jonathan Evens has fulfilled the role of Secretary and Treasurer from the inception of commission4mission but, because of pressure of other commitments, will shortly step down from the Committee. Jonathan has undertaken these roles with exceptional dedication and commitment and we thank him sincerely for all he has done to develop and administer commission4mission. Given the demands of his current ministry we fully understand his wish to give up these committee positions.

Additionally, I had considered standing down as chairman at the next AGM because other life commitments are just making too many demands on me at present and in the foreseeable future. Harvey Bradley, has also decided to leave the committee for similar reasons. Harvey has been an enthusiastic and dedicated member of the committee since commission4mission began and we extend our heartfelt thanks for his valuable contributions.

Unfortunately without a fully constituted committee, a group becomes untenable and we know from experience that it will be difficult to fill these positions and maintain the organization and administration of commission4mission in anything like its present form. Many of our members live outside London, with other work and personal commitments and we feel it is unlikely that any would wish to take on the demands of these committee roles and be in a position to attend regular meetings.

The committee are meeting to decide on the disposal of commission4mission funds in order that we close commission4mission following the Charity Commission’s guidelines and to consider how we might continue as a community of artists in some other capacity. This will, of course, not be under the banner of commission4mission. Your ideas in this regard would be welcome.’

For further information or to share ideas, please contact Mark Lewis on mlewis342@googlemail.com.

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Switchfoot - Where The Light Shines Through.

Artlyst interview & ArtWay meditation

My latest interview for Artlyst has just been published. This interview is with Marleen Hengelaar-Rookmaaker, editor-in-chief of ArtWay, a website which seeks to stimulate reflection on the role of images in church and open up the world of the visual arts to the Church.

In this interview, I discuss with Marleen the inspiration and vision for ArtWay, the legacy left by her father Hans Rookmaaker and her plans for new projects. Marleen intends ArtWay to showcase and open up what has been and is being written about art, whether popularly or scholarly, philosophically or theologically, meditatively or liturgically oriented. In this way, she hopes it will be a platform for reflection about art and to stimulate dialogue enabling the Christian world to become familiar with the quality art that is increasingly available:

'Christianity to me is about all dimensions of life. The world with everything in it is God’s creation, and Christ gave his life to redeem all of reality. This means that all of life is ‘Christian’ and may concern Christian artists, whether they portray the beauty of a bird in the sky or the outrage of a refugee having to live without the comfort of a place she can call her home. This broader view of the Christian life was at the basis of much Dutch 17th-century art – which had its roots in Calvinism – in which various genres besides biblical scenes gained prominence, such as portraits, landscapes and still life's, church interiors, domestic scenes and genre paintings.'

The interview includes Marleen's reflection on the writings of Hans Rookmaaker and so this interview joins two earlier interviews - with Jonathan A. Anderson and Alastair Gordon - which also include reflections on RookMaaker's legacy.

My latest visual meditation for ArtWay has also just been published. Gilly Szego's Mother and Child

prompts reflections on the reality that migrants 'are not fundamentally a threat and a danger': 'They are fundamentally a good thing. We’re all migrants or the sons and daughters thereof; Jesus was a migrant too. To forget that is to forget who we are and to forget who God is.'

My other ArtWay meditations include work by María Inés Aguirre, Giampaolo Babetto, Marian Bohusz-Szyszko, Alexander de Cadenet, Christopher Clack, Marlene Dumas, Terry Ffyffe, Antoni Gaudi, Nicola Green, Maciej Hoffman, Giacomo Manzù, Michael Pendry, Maurice Novarina, Regan O'Callaghan, Ana Maria Pacheco, John Piper, Albert Servaes, Henry Shelton and Anna Sikorska.

My other Artlyst articles and interviews are:

• Guido Guidi: Per Strada Flowers Gallery London
• Peter Howson Artlyst Interview
• 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
• Alastair Gordon A Testament To His Faith
• 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
• Katrina Moss Chaiya Art Awards Interview: Where is God in our 21st century world?
• Picasso To Souza: The Crucifixion Imagery Rarely Exhibited
• Apocalypse Now: Michael Takeo Magruder Interviewed
• Jonathan Anderson: Religious Inspirations Behind Modernism
• 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
• Caravan – An Interview With Rev Paul Gordon Chandler On Arts Peacebuilding
• Art Awakening Humanity Alexander de Cadenet Interviewed
• Polish Art In Britain Centenary Marked At London’s Ben Uri Gallery
• Michael Pendry New Installation Lights Up St Martin In The Fields;
• Mark Dean Projects Stations of the Cross Videos On Henry Moore Altar;
• 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; and
• Was Caravaggio A Good Christian?

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Kamasi Washington - Truth.

'Crucifixions: Francis Bacon' - catalogue and video

Following the 'Crucifixions: Francis Bacon' exhibition at St Stephen Walbrook, Daniel Bourke has created a video based on my reflections on the art of Francis Bacon. The video is now on websites of St Stephen Walbrook and the London Internet Church.

The catalogue for 'Crucifixions: Francis Bacon', including my essay, is now available online at the website for “The Francis Bacon Collection of the drawings donated to Cristiano Lovatelli Ravarino”.

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Rickie Lee Jones - Gethsemene.

Stolen Lives: Private viewing

Tonight I was at the St Bride Foundation for a private viewing of Stolen Lives, a new web based project which looks at issues of historical and contemporary slavery through music, songs, words, images, film and animation.

Stolen Lives is a collection of 17 freely dowloadable multi-media animations which will be of use to schoolteachers, especially those teaching at Key Stage 3 (ages 11 - 14) and Key Stage 4 (ages 14 – 16), but also to youth groups, museums, music and dance groups, and churches and faith groups. The project is also interactive with the website enabling users to post their own performances or interpretations of the material, allowing for a much broader sharing of ideas and practice.

Stolen Lives is a collaborative, open-educational project, bringing together academics (The Wilberforce Institute - Hull University), musicians (Paul Field and others), artists (Peter S. Smith) and educationalists (Sue James).

Paul Field is composer & Creative Director for the project. He has worked as a Songwriter, Composer, Producer and Performer in the UK and around the world. From the release of his first album 'In your eyes' (with Nutshell) he has written around 800 songs over four decades. He has received an Ivor Novello Award from the British Academy of Songwriters and Composers and a Dove Award (and two nominations) from GMA in Nashville along with numerous other awards from ASCAP in the USA. He has had #1 chart success with his songs in the UK, USA, Holland, South Africa and Germany. He has received many Platinum and Gold records for his work.

Peter S Smith, who created the visuals for the project, is a Painter/Printmaker with a studio at the St Bride Foundation in London. He studied Fine Art at Birmingham Polytechnic and Art Education at Manchester. In 1992 he gained an MA (Printmaking) at Wimbledon School of Art. Examples of his work can be found in private and public collections including Tate Britain and the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. His book 'The Way See It' (Piquant Press) is a visual monograph of contemporary work by a professional artist who is a Christian, which provides an illustrated introduction to the art of engraving.

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Stolen Lives - Midnight Rain.

Stolen Lives: A sense of moral repugnance against modern-day slavery

Stolen Lives is a new web based project which looks at issues of historical and contemporary slavery through music, songs, words, images, film and animation.

‘Stolen Lives’ is a collection of 17 songs and narratives designed to have multiple uses. It is anticipated that the resources will not only be of use to schoolteachers, especially those teaching at Key Stage 3 (ages 11 - 14) and Key Stage 4 (ages 14 – 16), but also to youth groups, museums, music and dance groups, and churches and faith groups. The project is also interactive. It is hoped that users will post their own performances or interpretations of the material that has been put together, allowing for a much broader sharing of ideas and practice.

The pieces provide starting points for discussion and also hope to inspire new creative work in art, dance, drama, images words and music for schools and other groups or individuals interested in the issues. These are all available as a free resource on the Stolen Lives website.

Professor John Oldfield, Director of the Wilberforce Institute for the Study of Slavery and Emancipation (WISE) the University of Hull, is the project leader. Kevin Bales the co-investigator. Music is by Paul Field and visuals by Peter S. Smith.

Behind the project is a serious intent, namely to use music and images to promote awareness of modern-day slavery and – just as important – the pressing need to do something about it. Nineteenth-century abolitionists were well aware of the power of music to persuade and inform: indeed, anti-slavery songs were an important part of their opinion-building activities, particularly in the United States. The same is true of images, whether Wedgwood’s famous image of the kneeling slave, or the cross section of the slave ship ‘Brookes’. ‘Stolen Lives’ follows in the same tradition. Put simply, the aim is to use music and images to inform public opinion and, in the process, create a sense of moral repugnance against modern-day slavery and for slavery in all its forms.

We should never underestimate the power of such aids to change attitudes and impact on policy and policymakers.

As William Wilberforce so memorably put it: ‘You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know’.

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Paul Field - Strange Cargo.

Making sense of the Census

The 2011 Census was the second Census in England and Wales to provide data on population by religion for regions, counties, London boroughs and districts in England and Wales on census day. The Census data has been analysed by the Church of England to produce data specific for each parish.

Those using the national Presence & Engagement website can click on their diocese to find out about the religious demographics there. It is also possible to search for the religious demographics in your parish by searching with your postcode. This includes a comparison between the 2011 and 2001 data, as well as age data and poverty data (provided via a separate link to the Church Urban Fund website).

Searching for the data on my former parish St John's Seven Kings produces the following as an example of the type and value of the information available:

"This P&E parish has a very significant 63.05% of the population consisting of faiths other than Christianity. It is a P&E parish. The population is 15200."

"The population of ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST, GREAT ILFORD is 15180 and the IMD rank is 9889 out of 12,660 (where 1 is the least deprived parish).

The most significant poverty-related issue in this parish is the relatively high rate of pensioner poverty. The next most significant issue is the relatively high rate of child poverty.

Child poverty and pensioner poverty in this parish are among the highest in the country. Working age poverty in this parish is higher than average compared with other parishes in the country. Qualification levels in this parish are higher than average compared with other parishes nationally."

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George Harrison - All Things Must Pass.

Sophia Hub update

Ros Southern writes:

'Tomorrow (Tuesday) at the enterprise club (arrive 12.30 for 12.45 prompt start) we have a range of people on hand to help you with setting up or putting updates on facebook page/profile, twitter, blog, website etc. And we also have someone coming along to explore with us about setting up a Sophia Hubs portal which would be our own little place on the internet (in my language) where we can share much more easily all our online stuff and updates. Bit more info here.

On Saturday is the 2nd Timebank Big Community Skills Swap at the Flirt Cafe from 10.00am - 12.30pm. Most things are booked but click on the link to find out more and perhaps come along for a cuppa and see what is happening ....

Thanks to Claudia Castillo for coming to enterprise club last week and sharing the support available which I will be promoting next week.'

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The Style Council - Promised Land.

Sophia Hub update

Ros Southern writes;

'Vic Norman led a powerful session at the enterprise club on Tuesday and vastly increasing social media skills is the focus of January and the whole year! Read here about the enterprise club session and follow up help.

We are getting help to run a Redbridge portal for start-ups and there is a social media working session on Tuesday 20th January at the enterprise club, so put the date in your diaries. (see above link)

Blogging and linking to each other's websites is the best way to promote your business. Read Manzoor Ahmed's guest blog here and please send me yours.

Plans for the Timebank community skills swap are going well (Taira Khan is leading a creative writing session and Vic Norman a twitter training) - please publcise and let us know your ideas. Flyer here.

The East London Small Business Centre is coming to Sophia Hubs for Tuesday's lunch time enterprise club (13th January at 12.30) for a practical session and info on loads of resources. Click here to see what Claudia will be covering.

Thanks for the responses to last week's requests for mentors and expert help. More needed, and especially volunteers willing to help start ups and Sophia Hubs with social media.'

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The New Basement Tapes - Kansas City.

Redbridge and the First World War

Redbridge Museum's current exhibition is on Redbridge and the First World War. It runs until 30 May 2015.

This major exhibition by Redbridge Museum uncovers some of the local impacts of the First World War. Based on new research, the exhibition explores how the war affected local life, the international nature of the conflict and the family histories of today's Redbridge residents.

The display features a wealth of historic objects, photographs and personal items, many on display for the first time. The exhibition also includes films made by Wanstead High School students and artist Victoria Lucas, working with the Museum and the National Portrait Gallery (www.npg.org.uk/nationalmemory).

A brand new website about Redbridge and the First World War will also be launched shortly, alongside a new book about the subject. These will include photographs of the First World War memorial at St John's Seven Kings. 

More information about the memorials at St John's can be found at: http://joninbetween.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/memorial%20boards; http://joninbetween.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/world-war-1-war-memorial-updated.html; and http://stjohns7kings.org.uk/lost-generation-competition. These include research into those named on our First World War memorial.

See www.redbridgefirstworldwar.org.uk for photographs and the book once the site is fully functional and has been launched.

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Ivor Gurney - Black Stitches.

God Movie Project

There is a God Movie Project premiere night in Chelmsford on the evening of Saturday 22nd November. There will probably be three new movies, and the main feature is called Out of Little Things, Big Things Grow.

The movie trailer is posted on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNlSFYs4qpw (Preview).

Doors open at 7.00pm, and the evening will be finished by 8.30pm. The premiere night is in the Cathedral Chapter House.

For more information about God Movie Project please visit the website: http://www.godmovieproject.com/.

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God Movie Project - Out of Little Things, Big Things Grow.

The Palette Pages: Chris Clack

commission4mission artist Chris Clack is interviewed in The Palette Pages:

'Chris is a multi media artist with a focus on spirituality but not in an orthodox religious way, he creates work with expression and uses his art to present his questioning and findings ...

In 2008 I started the website www.modernreligiousart.com, and invited other artists to show work on the site. The home page gives a brief run down of my thoughts on religion and art and the relationship between the two.'

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Half-Handed Cloud - Feed Your Sheep a Burning Lamp.

Blog Action Day

The Blog Action Day team write:

'It’s time to get ready for Blog Action Day 2014.

Each year we are asked, "How do you decide the theme for Blog Action Day?" This year, our answer is that you inspired us.

When we looked over previous Blog Action Day's, it didn’t take us long to notice a common thread running through all of our past themes that the community was very passionate about, inequality.

For Blog Action Day 2014, we invite you to highlight and discuss what "Inequality" means to you, and share it with the wider Blog Action Day community on October 16, 2014.

>> Register your blog to make sure it's listed in our official participants list for 2014.

Registration is quick and allows us to promote the blog, social network or channel you are using to participate in Blog Action Day 2014 on our website, so that the Blog Action Day community can read and share your posts.

If you need some inspiration for your posts visit our the Blog Action Day blog, our supporting partners or our social networks links below, to get great tips and ideas.

Make sure you see all the great Blog Action Day posts from around the world on Oct16

We will be sharing all of the amazing posts from our participants around the world from October 16 - 18. Make sure you visit our website to take a look and share in the discussions

We look forward to reading your post about Inequality on October 16, but if you have any questions about Blog Action Day before then, please get in touch via our social networks or contact us page.'

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Martyn Joseph - Kiss The World Beautiful.

Enterprise Club

Here is the latest news of the Seven Kings Sophia Hub from Ros Southern:

"I am pleased to introduce the speaker for Tuesdays LUNCHTIME Enterprise club (change of time!!!) as Stephanie Mugo who has set up a start up osteomyology alternative therapy business in Dagenham.  Read about it here plus the new times. 

Thanks so much to Nigel Camp for leading our last enterprise club and the promise of supporting us in a creating a group blog and a group video!

I am also very pleased to introduce our new Sophia Hubs website and Timebank website and info about it here. 

After a very productive meeting with Redbridge Institute last week we are strongly recommending our start-ups to join a 5 week evening course that only costs £10 starting Monday 9th June.  More info here.  We are going to support the students who have been on this course to develop their networks and offer ongoing back up support. 

Thanks to all those that helped on our stall at the Redbridge Green Fair.

More news to follow on the re-used paint business opportunity,  support from the Redbridge Chamber of Commerce for our start-ups and more.

Have a good weekend and hope to see lots of you on Tuesday from 12 (That's when the parking restrictions end) with Stephanie speaking at 12.30.

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The Frames - Revelate.

New websites for Sophia Hubs

Sophia Hubs Limited has a new website explaining its work. The site including a page on the Seven Kings Sophia Hub pilot and a blog which will become the main source of news about Sophia Hubs Limited and hubs in the network. 

In addition, the Timebank set up by the Seven Kings Sophia Hub pilot also has its own website where people can register to join the Timebank in order to make offers and requests for other Timebank members.  

The Timebank is an important form of support for the new social enterprises and start-ups we are incubating at Sophia Hubs.  It will build up community networks and demonstrate the extensive skills and resources that we have in this area.  Residents will expand their contacts through giving and receiving services and skills: each hour given is worth the same whatever is being offered.

Both websites were created for Sophia Hubs Limited by Divine Aesthetic.

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Tom Petty - Learning To Fly.

Sabbatical art pilgrimage: ArtWay visit reports

The first of my visit reports from my sabbatical for the ArtWay website has been published. These are extended versions of my original posts often providing extra background or with more discussions of issues raised by the site and its commissions. The first of these reports is on Chelmsford Cathedral. Others will follow as my sabbatical progresses. Taken together they will be a contribution to telling the story of the revival of Church commissions in the twentieth century.

Also on the ArtWay website is my recent meditation on the work of Antoni Gaudi plus an article about the 'Pole Position' exhibition at the Graves Gallery in Sheffield. Earlier visit reports, meditations, reviews and articles can also be found on the site.

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 Bap Kennedy - The Truth Is Painful.