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Tag: arts

Metaphor and contemporary culture

For me, Barry Taylor is an interesting fusion of theologian, cultural observer and artist.  His blog is an interest source for cultural reflection.  He has posted a short entry exploring how metaphor has changed in contemporary culture, to read the blog entry, click here

POSTED 14.04.10 BY: ianmobsby | No Comments

Wild Wednesday Events from April to August 2010

Spring is nearly here at last, so we have started to think about some interesting social and artistic events for Wednesday evening gatherings from April to August. We have a mix of socials, arts and discussion for you, including an exclusive private view of a Wall Space event in July. Details below:

Weds 7th April

Art Exhibition at Camden Art Centre, 7.35pm

Map, Info

Tubes: West Hampstead and Finchley Road

Weds 5th May

Drink in a bar on a boat by the Tower of London, 7.35pm

Map, 10mins walk from St Mary Woolnoth

Tubes: Monument and Tower Hill

Weds 2nd June

Discussion with Jonathan Bartley, Director of Ekklesia on the theme of the place of a politics of subversion in the Christian Church.

Venue: St Mary Woolnoth, 7.35pm

Weds 7th July

Private View at Wall Space, with refreshments with a tour led by the Director Meryl Doney from 7.35pm

Tubes: Liverpool Street and Moorgate

Map

Places for Mooters and Moot Friends are Free, but we request that you sign up for a free place, numbers are limited. Please book places by following the link here.

Weds 4th Aug

Gathering by the river for a drink, this time on the Southside of the river, 7.35pm

Venue: Tamesis Dock, Albert Embankment, Vauxhall, London SE1 7TP

Map

Some of us will be getting the 344 bus from The City direct to the boat.

For further information on these events, please click here. The private viewing at Wall Space on 7 July requires people to register. To do so, please click here.

POSTED 05.03.10 BY: ianmobsby | No Comments

Ecstasy through asceticism

One of Switzerland’s most creative jazz pianists, Nik Bärtsch, together with the group he leads, RONIN, will be performing on March 12 at the ICA in London.
Beyond my personal enthusiasm (that’s a euphemism) for this group, there is actually a reason for me to post this here: their approach to jazz is deeply meditative. They call this zen-funk. (Click here for free tracks: )
Perhaps you need to like (ECM) jazz quite a lot, but I have personally found myself in an medidative/ecstatic state every time I’ve been to one of their concerts. I can only recommend…
by Nic.

POSTED 24.02.10 BY: ianmobsby | Comments (1)

The Impossible Hamster Club

The Impossible Hamster Club

POSTED 27.01.10 BY: admin | Comments (7)

Total hospitality, liturgy, and transgenderism

As we struggle with living out the Gospel message

to love you and our neighbour

forgive us when we fail your children

in whatever body they are clothed.

(from Moot little service liturgy on the theme of Hospitality)


Today i found myself, as usual, in a Moot service. This is a pretty normal Sunday evening activity for me now. I have come to love the profound acceptance of humanity that is often shared in a space created by members of our community. Today’s little service was based on the theme of Hospitality. I’m not often moved by liturgy. In fact my general impression has always been that liturgy is there for those who can’t handle the risk of getting to the core of who we are as people…that it offers a way out of being honest. That’s just my stupid arrogance coming through. But today’s liturgy had followed on form an afternoon event that I’m sure will stick with me.
A friend had offered to take me to a caberet club he often visits with his boyfriend. It’s not something i would usually do with my Sunday afternoons. Soho has always been kept for birthday parties on Saturday nights that i would more often than not wish to forget. Dean street at 3pm on a Sunday has a slightly different feeling though.
We were there to see the drag act who arrived on stage an hour late. Most in the audience were regulars. Being new to the venue, i was keeping a watchful eye of the other visitors. One lady in particular caught my eye: at about 4’5inches high she wore a large black adidas anorak which was worn from the elements. Her hair, unwashed was less ‘presentable’ than most other cuts in the room.
I remarked to my friend about the smell of hairspray that made me cough as our glamourous and tall afternoon entertainment passed by me down the aisle and made for the stage. There a giant bouquet of flowers and red velvet curtain met her predictable black sequin dress on stage. I antcipated a long string of innuendoes and smutty jokes. Instead our entertainer (whose name i forget) got down off the stage and made a b-line for the lady in the anorak. She lent over and gave her a huge hug followed by a kiss on the cheek.
Anorak lady’s face glowed up to show a smile missing many of the front teeth. Her day had been made. The lady at the bar with nobody to talk to, met with warm acceptance from on high. The atmosphere in the room was converted from generic entertainment venue to a place of hospitality and dramatic acceptance.
What struck me today was the love shown from one marginalised soul to another. The liturgy at moot helped me to look a myself, at the places i have ignored my own neighbour and reflect on the examples of love in our city.
God, help me to remember the subversive language of your love. Forgive me for turning my back on my brothers and sisters because of fear, mistrust and busyness.

POSTED 06.12.09 BY: admin | Comments (3)

Why Beauty Matters

Received this from Vanessa, and thought it right to share here:

Roger Scruton, philosopher, presents thought provoking argument on ‘Why

Beauty Matters’ on BBC 2 – explores connections between beauty,

spirituality, art etc.(relevant to Moots mission) have to watch on bbc
iplayer available until this Saturday. Worth watching.

Link Link here

POSTED 01.12.09 BY: admin | Comments (2)

Seeking a harmonious life

Not sure if many people have seen the BBC programme ‘Classic Goldie’, where he rises to the challenge of composing a piece of music for an orchestra to be performed in the PROMS at the Albert Hall.

Goldie has been one of my hero’s for a long time. Not only because he is a legend in the ‘drum and bass’ genre of music for most of my adult life, but because creativity liberated him out of children’s homes and a really tough life. He initially started with being a graffiti artist in New York before entering into electronic music production and DJing. He is often in the club Fabric in London, which used to be a favourite haunt.

What impressed me in the TV programme, is his creative searching, which is inherently spiritual. He talks about this search for him being liberating, as he searches increasingly to find a harmonious life. I interpreted this to be meaning an ‘integrated’ life, a life that brings depth and a yearning for synergy of the mind, body and spirit. One commentator talked about Goldie’s music being dark yet hopeful, and I think this is true.

Goldie’s piece Sine Tempore (inspired by Augustine’s work on how creation occurred when there was no time and by implication that creation and evolution occurred in timelessness, see here for more on this) a musical expression of creation, evolution and the future. It remained Goldiesque, but more moodful and touching than I was expecting. I was struck by the sense that the music was strong when looking back and formed with highs and lows, but as it looked forward, there was a vulnerability, a lost-ness, a sense of unknowing. I think this point of the music expressed something of a collective consciousness, of hope, but the challenge of a future where we are killing the planet, with out a sense of the presence of the divine, or an acknowledgement of the divine. In the first show, I was struck how one commentator talked about music coming out of the interaction with religion or engagement with God, now it emerges out of the eternal individual. Maybe music like this, is a representation of humanity reaching out again tentatively out of the delusion of individualism and autonomy to the divine, again seeking transcendence and seeking the spiritual, but with a complete reframing of religion.

POSTED 08.08.09 BY: admin | Comments (3)

I’m Lost without Your Rhythm

An exhibition of Johanna Billing‘s performace work is open at the Camden Arts Centre, London, until September 13th.

Billing’s videos reflect on routine, rehearsal and ritual with an emphasis on the fragility of individual performance and power of collective experience.

Her new work is based around the recording of a live performance of dance ‘learned’ or performed by amateur Romanian dancers in Iasi (pronounced ‘yash’), during Periferic 8 Biennial of Contemporary Art “Art as Gift” in October 2008. This piece moved me deeply. Billing manages to allow the performer to be who they are at the same time as bringing their individual movemnt into a collective pattern.

Camden Arts Centre is a recently redevelopped centre with a great cafe and bookshop. Definitely reccommended for someone with a morning off.

POSTED 04.08.09 BY: admin | Comments (1)

I'm Lost without Your Rhythm

An exhibition of Johanna Billing‘s performace work is open at the Camden Arts Centre, London, until September 13th.

Billing’s videos reflect on routine, rehearsal and ritual with an emphasis on the fragility of individual performance and power of collective experience.

Her new work is based around the recording of a live performance of dance ‘learned’ or performed by amateur Romanian dancers in Iasi (pronounced ‘yash’), during Periferic 8 Biennial of Contemporary Art “Art as Gift” in October 2008. This piece moved me deeply. Billing manages to allow the performer to be who they are at the same time as bringing their individual movemnt into a collective pattern.

Camden Arts Centre is a recently redevelopped centre with a great cafe and bookshop. Definitely reccommended for someone with a morning off.

POSTED 04.08.09 BY: admin | Comments (1)

TWO GREAT SHOWS!

If you’ve been thinking where the heck is David Harris? the answer is that he’s been working on the design of two shows that both open tomorrow.

BUNK at the Kings Head is a 1-hour lunchtime production about a girl called Eve. She’s an 18 year old who gets angry and moves out of home. Unaware of how to get into a government run hostel she books herself into a traveller’s hostel.

There are performances of BUNK every day from tomorrow onwards (except Mondays) until Sunday 9th August. 1pm. Angel Tube.

The second of the two performances, Tis’ Pitty she’s a Whore is playing at the White Bear Theatre, Kennington. I have been assisting in the design of this one. Lots of blood….and incest. Also starts tomorrow and runs every day until August 9th. 7.30pm. Sun 5pm.

POSTED 20.07.09 BY: admin | Comments (1)