As Christians, we are called to love people. This means that we should support and serve others and not exploit of steal from them. We all know this! But how does this apply to the art traditions that we practice within? How do we actively contribute to them, rather than exploiting them? How can we be blood donors rather than vampires? And where do sharks fit in? That’s what this episode is all about.
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show . If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
Resources and References:
This episode follows on from our last episode on Barrowclough's album 'The Riddle and the Spyglass'.
Professor Skye - Whiteness in Rap Music & Hip-Hop Culture: Creating A Hip-Hop Class Part 11 (Youtube video) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn9fOt-hZbY
Eminem - White America
Eminem - Stepping Stone
Lucy Mckenzie - https://lucymckenzie.com
Michael Mcdonald - I keep forgettin
Kendrick Lamar - The Blacker The Berry
Robin Thicke/Marvin Gaye ‘plagiarism’ issue - https://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/case-study/blurred-lines-copyright
Olivia Rodrigo/Paramore ‘plagiarism’ issue - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-58327849
But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. (2 Peter 3:10)
And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21:5)
For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ (Acts 17:28). Probably drawing from the 6th century BC Greek poet Epimenides, and the 3rd century BC Stoic philosopher Aratus.
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. (Psalm 24:1)
We’ve heard about Ally’s art. We’ve heard about Marlita’s art. Today, we focus on Jonny’s or, should I say, Barrowclough’s.
If hip-hop geekery is your thing, you won’t be disappointed. If it’s not, don’t worry though. The conversation explores the kaleidoscopic nature of art, the joys of collaboration, the unusual ways in which Christianity infiltrates culture and how we all can find our places in our artforms.
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show . If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
Resources and References:
Barrowclough - The Riddle & The Spyglass https://barrowclough.bandcamp.com/album/the-riddle-the-spyglass
Johannes Tetens, 18th century German Danish philosopher
Scarface - Never seen a man cry
Tupac - Brenda’s got a baby
Geto Boyz - My mind’s playing tricks on me
Prince Paul - Prince among thieves
Souls of Mischief - Montezuma’s Revenge
Snoop Dogg - Bible of Love
Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid Maad City
Today, Macclesfield based ceramicist, Rachel Ho introduces us to her fabulous ‘ Gift to the City’ project, sparking all sorts of trains of thought. The restorative power of art. Artists as priests. Paying the bills. And, as a podcast first, today’s episode is sponsored by a popular energy drink. Kind of.
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show . If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
Resources and References:
Micah Purnell (text based artist) https://micahpurnell.com/
Orla Gilkeson (painter) https://orlagilkesonart.com/
Kate Nash’s experience of the music industry- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwygdzn4dw4o.amp
What do you think of when you think of prophetic art?
Does your mind instantly turn to the subversive power of beauty, energizing hope, alternate realities, toppling empire and the ministry of attentiveness? No? Well, perhaps you should spend an hour with Dr Mary McCampbell and the FITA team!
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show . If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
Resources and References:
Books:
Imagining our Neighbours as Ourselves: How Art Shapes Empathy - Mary McCampbell
The Prophetic Imagination - Walter Brugemann
The Church and The Fiction Writer - Flannery O’Connor (included in the book ‘Mystery and Manners)
Art and artists:
Lakwena - Nothing can separate us- https://www.vigogallery.com/exhibitions/58-lakwena-maciver-nothing-can-separate-us-covent-garden-london/overview/
Alvin Ailey Dance Company Victory Boyd (singer)
The Handmaids Tale - Margaret Atwood
Life After God - Douglas Coupland
Magnolia (dir Paul Thomas Anderson)
Tree of Life (dir Terrence Mallick)
Samuel Taylor Coleridge (poet)
Bible References:
Matthew 23:13-39
Luke 1:46-56 (Mary’s Song)
Isaiah 55
Psalm 88
Today’s guest is internationally acclaimed tap dancer, Andrew Nemr. He leads us on a riveting journey through the history of tap dance, the fracturing of the media landscape, sharing your process, the morning pages and recovering from burnout. Oh, and how art practice can serve as a model for Christian discipleship.
To acquaint yourself with Andrew’s work, visit andrewnemr.com and artistformation.com.
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show . If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
Resources, artists and references
Andrew’s visual art- https://whatweleavebehind.online
Kendrick Lamar- Watch the party die (for the more perceptive, you’ll notice that this was recorded before GNX dropped)
Yussef Dayes- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YASaUI9bhQY
Savion Glover
Steal Like An Artist- Austin Kleon
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
Anselm Mcdonnell is back! Building on the last episode’s focus on the avant garde, the conversation moves on to music in general. How is music different to other artforms and how does music specifically relate to Christianity? After all, it’s just wiggly air, isn’t it?
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
References
Music at key moments in the Bible (Job 38:4-7, Luke 2:13-14, Revelation 14:1-3)
Whereas Christian artists are often known for playing it safe in the arts, today’s guest, classical composer, Anselm Mcdonnell bucks this trend.
His work is experimental and avant garde and that is where the conversation goes in today’s episode. What is avant garde art, why does it matter and why should Christians practise in this area?
To get an intro to Anselm’s work, listen to his piece ‘Cross Purposes’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hjg0L1McnYk
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
References
Hutchmoot - Hutchmoot is a gathering of Christian artists and creatives that happens once a year in Derbyshire. We highly recommend it! https://www.hutchmootuk.com
Olivier Messiaen - French composer, organist and ornithologist!
How can artists bring the sacred to the streets and what happens when they do?
Our hosts are joined by Jason Leith, a Los Angeles based artist and the leader of Saddleback Visual Arts, to explore his work and the intersection between the humble and the holy, the seen and the hidden, the base and the transcendent and whether there will be a Starbucks on the renewed creation!
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
Referenced resources and artists:
Vessels project - https://sacredstreets.org/projects/vessels/
Lord of Spirits podcast - https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/lordofspirits
Saddleback Visual Arts - https://saddlebackvisualarts.com
AI is reshaping our world and its impact is being felt very keenly in the arts.
Programs like Dali, Chat GPT and Sora have all been moving into the mainstream over the last year or so. Are they exciting tools to sharpen are artistry or do they signal the demise of the human artist? George Aytoun, head of design at Mccann Birmingham, joins the conversation to talk us through this revolution in the arts and the threats and opportunities that come with it.
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
Referenced resources and artists:
Pablo Picasso, Norman Rockwell, JMW Turner
Travels in hyper-reality by Umberto Eco
'The Symbolic World' podcast (Jonathan Pageau)
Genesis 4:17-22
Last time we talked about Ally’s artistry and this time we’re shining the spotlight on another one of our hosts: Marlita!
We are focusing on her latest dance piece ‘We Need To Talk’ and bashing around such weight themes as communication, embodiment and art as language, at times using collections of letters that may or may not be actual words. Prepare for much phenomenological viscerality!
To get the most out of the episode (and also because it’s brilliant) you’d do well to watch the piece yourself beforehand. You can find it here: https://demo.marlitahill.com/we-need-to-talk/
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If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show.
If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through the link on our website www.faithinthearts.show
We’ve talked about some great artists this season but this one is special as it’s one of our own Faith In The Arts team. Today, we look at Ally’s own art, focusing on the first major monograph of his career, Quodlibet and the paintings All the Postcards sent to my studio (2014) and Above and Below, Bowglass.
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
Referenced resources and artists:
Quodlibet by Alistair Gordon (monograph, 2023)
https://www.anomie-publishing.com/alastair-gordon-quodlibet/
All the Postcards to my Studio by Alastair Gordon (2014)
The Feet of Those by Alastair Gordon (solo exhibition, 2014)
Planes by Alastair Gordon (2014)
Thirty Feathers and one mouse by Alastair Gordon (2019)
Above and Below, Bowglass (2023)
We loved focusing on the Book of Revelation in the last episode so we decided to keep talking about it while throwing one of the greatest British artists of all time into the mix: William Blake.
Join us on a whistlestop tour of William Blake’s illustrations on the book of Revelation, focusing on the paintings The Ancient of Days, The Whore of Babylon and The Four and Twenty Elders casting their Crowns before the Throne.
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
Referenced resources and artists:
The Ancient of Days (1827) - William Blake
The Whore of Babylon (1809) - William Blake
The Four and Twenty Elders casting their Crowns before the Divine Throne (1803-05) - William Blake
Songs of Innocence and of Experience - William Blake
Compare 2 Samuel 24:1 and 1 Chronicles 21:1
The four horsemen of the apocalypse- Revelation 6:1-8 (Zechariah 1:8-10)
Today, we’re looking at by far the most popular piece of art in the series so far. It features in a literary anthology that is by far the best selling book in history. It’s the book of Revelation by John! There will be beasts. There will be dragons. There will be absolutely no controversial opinions shared of any sort… (well, two out of three of those statements are true!)
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
Referenced resources and artists:
On Fairy Tales- JRR Tolkien (essay) (available free online- google it!)
After a mid season break, the FITA team are back, discussing the work of painter Peter Howson.
Peter’s visceral, unflinching work sparks a discussion about artistic portrayals of good and evil, how becoming a Christian affects an artist’s work and the wildness inside.
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
Referenced resources and artists:
Peter Howson paintings- Prophecy, Swarm, Barrier Sunset, The Heroic Dosser and the album cover of ‘Throwing Copper’ by Live Dante’s inferno
We had the privilege of hosting a main session at Hutchmoot 2023 and here it is! Marlita, Ally and Jonny are joined by Andrew Peterson and Mark Meynell to talk about artistic community and give a bit of an introduction to their own artistic groups- Rabbit Room, Morphē Arts, Kingdom Artist Initiative and Sputnik Faith & Arts. This episode also features a live version of the song ‘Shine Your Light On Me’ by Andrew Peterson.
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show . If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
References and artists
Pablo Picasso
Frida Kahlo
Vincent Van Gogh
Lucien Freud
Beyoncé
David Caspar Friedrich- Wanderer above the Sea of Fog
Bryan Eno
JRR Tolkien- The Fellowship of the Ring
Soulquarians (Inc the Roots, D'Angelo, Erykah Badu and J Dilla)
Paul Gauguin
J M W Turner
Tony Wilson (the Hacienda, Factory Records)
The Good Life Café (health food store that became known as a centre of an alternative hiphop scene in LA in the 1990s)
L’Abri (www.labri.org)
When you think of Christian art, what’s your first thought? Horror movies! Of course it is. Today, the team delve into the genre of horror through a conversation around Scott Derrickson’s 2013 scarefest ‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose.’
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
Recommended resources and artists:
The Exorcism of Emily Rose Chicago Film Critics Association listed the film at #86 in their Top 100 Scariest Films Ever Made (2006)
The Screwtape Letter by CS Lewis
A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor
The Wolf of Wall Street (Dir. Martin Scorcese)
Judges 19
Revelation 14:20- blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.
Hieronymus Bosch
Psalm 88
In this episode, Marlita presents the 2013 album, Songversation by India Arie and it inspires a conversation about artistic success, how we relate to our audiences and what it means to be a good guest. Before listening why not check out the album?
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
Recommended Resources and Artists:
Songversation by India Arie
1 Corinthians 9:22- ‘I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.’
Today, Ally introduces us to Vincent Van Gogh and Jonny and Marlita struggle with the Dutch language! Art isn’t just worth talking about, it’s worth feasting upon, so to get the most out of this episode, you should check out the two paintings ‘The Sower’ by Van Gogh and ‘The Vision’ by Paul Gauguin. (Links below)
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
Recommended resources and artists:
The Sower by Van Gogh https://tinyurl.com/ywejewra
The Vision by Paul Gauguin https://tinyurl.com/yc49894r
Still Life by Van Gogh
Colossians 3:2- ‘Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things’
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus (original hymn by Helen Lemmel)
Paul Cezanne
This season, we’re going to be basing our episodes around pieces of art and the artists that create them. Today Jonny introduces the album, The Big Day by Chance the Rapper and sparks a conversation about authenticity, expectations and language. To get the most out of this conversation, it would be good to give the album a listen or two if you haven’t already.
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
Resources, references and artists:
Coloring Book by Chance the Rapper
Romans 7:14-25
Philippians 3:8- I consider them rubbish (NIV)/ worthless (NLT)/ loss (ESV)/ dog dung (The Message). This word is skubala in Greek. Most scholars agree that this was an impolite word that meant excrement.
Ally, Jonny and Marlita are back! To kick the second season off, they catch up on how the faith and the arts conversation has moved forward in the last year, navigating AI, the London urban music scene and artistic isolationism. And there are puns. Lots of puns.
If you’d like to join the conversation, please email us at hello@faithinthearts.show. If you’d like to help us continue to make more episodes like this, you can donate to us directly through our website www.faithinthearts.show
Recommended resources and artists from this episode: JMW Turner, The Blue Rigi (1841-2) Apocalyptic Lockdown Blues- David Benjamin Blower Untitled (Black is)- Sault Raven Wilkinson