Moot » arts

Advent paintings by Michael L Radcliffe prints available

ianmobsby — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:35:43 +0000

As some will know, Mike’s big picture of the world like a football smashed in the exhibition before Christmas. So to cover the costs (Moot is raising money to cover the costs of reframing the picture that smashed), we are offering against donation copies of Mike’s prints and those we have mounted on white board. Note: This offer is not available for the two actual paintings in the exhibition if interested in buying these, please contact Mike direct. Please see below images that are available in print form. If interested in having one of these – those which donations are received with be reserved. First come first served. After you have clicked the cost link you will go through to our paypal page where you can pay by paypal, debit or credit card. IN THE BOX THAT SAYS PURPOSE PLEASE ADD WHICH PICTURE AND SIZE YOU WANT AS BELOW.

1. Ronnie Baby line drawing. We have one mounted version in A3 – to see image click here. To make a donation towards the cost.

2. Oh God. We have one mounted version A3, 3xA3 and 1xA4 print unmounted – to see image click here. To make a donation towards the cost.

3. Womens face spray painting photo. We have one for mounted A3 and one unmounted version – to see image click here. To make a donation towards the cost.

4. Aw. We have one mounted A3 version 1 unmounted A3 version – to see image click here. To make a donation towards the cost.

5. Messiah. We have 2x A3 unmounted versions – to see image click here. To make a donation towards the cost.

6. Junia. We have 1xA3 mounted and 1xA3 unmounted versions – to see image click here. To make a donation towards the cost.

7. Mary figure – We have 1xA3 mounted and 3xA3 unmounted versions – to see image click here. To make a donation towards the cost.

Art and prayer as expressions of seeking the essence

ianmobsby — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 11:13:03 +0000

At Christmas time this year, I had the good fortune to be able to catch up with family on boxing day. As part of this I went with My Uncle Geoff, Geoff Plant which some of you mooters know, to see his art studio and some of recent paintings. His Art Studio is based on an estate previously where Eric Gill lived, who was an artist, sculpture and design person, who was responsible for some of the art and Lady Chapel at St Matthews Westminster, the first home of the Moot Community.

Whilst we were there, my Uncle expressed his frustration with some of his art. He knew he could draw people, but wanted to get beyond the construction and technical bits of art, to be able to express the essence by getting beyond his own limitations. It struck me that this is the same process as meditation and prayer, about getting beyond the self by using some form of method of prayer and meditation, to be able to reach beyond yourself to be able to encounter the essence which is God.

When I did my MA, one of the courses I completed was on art, literature and a theology of the imagination. This basically traced the theme of creativity and imagination as the sphere for encountering the Holy Spirit, as the medium when the human and the divine encounter in the I-Thou relationship – whether this was intentional or not. I have always seen prayer and meditation as an expression of this, as it requires you to get beyond your thinking and your feeling to be able to see beyond the self. I have never thought that art and the process of making art, as a similar process.

So my Uncle and I could appreciate my comment that art then, seeking the essence outside of our self-preoccupation and self-deceptions, is like prayer and meditation, seeking to reach beyond, to seek the essence. Prayer is hard work, just as art is hard work, but both are an essential expression of the spiritual path of seeking to reach out to the essence beyond, seeking the divine.

Art: Surround Me

ianmobsby — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 15:39:35 +0000

As I walked up Lombard Street towards the London Centre for Spirituality today after our Moot Eleven O’clock and Baptism service, I could hear the sounds of angels singing. Thinking that I either needed medication or that I was missing something, I realised that the music was coming from around Change Alley, the original site in medieval times of what was called ‘The Kingdom of Change Alley’ of money lenders that eventually led to the Stock Market and Royal Exchange in the City of London.

Anyway, to my great pleasure, the music is part of a street-artsscape project called ‘Surround Me’ which aims to bring artistic life back into the City which is eerily quiet on Sundays. The silence of the City has inspired artist Susan Philipsz’s first commission in the capital. Her unaccompanied voice resonates through the empty streets around the Bank of England and medieval alleyways and along the banks of the River Thames. ‘Surround Me’ embraces the vocal traditions of the City of London connecting themes of love and loss with those of fluidity, circulation and immersion, the flood of tears, to convey a poignant sense of absence and loss in the contemporary City of London. I really liked this street art event, I think it connects with what I think many of us are feeling at the moment, a sense of lament and loss.

Metaphor and contemporary culture

ianmobsby — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 09:12:19 +0000

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

Wild Wednesday Events from April to August 2010

ianmobsby — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:52:44 +0000

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.

Ecstasy through asceticism

ianmobsby — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:11:59 +0000

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.

The Impossible Hamster Club

admin — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:37:00 +0000

The Impossible Hamster Club

Total hospitality, liturgy, and transgenderism

admin — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:58:00 +0000

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.

Why Beauty Matters

admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:00:00 +0000

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

Seeking a harmonious life

admin — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 10:00:00 +0000

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.