ArtzVille

This Lent and Easter season we will look at three topics - love, success and competition - from a Christian artistic perspective. There is time to consider and reply to the subjects. We welcome article submissions, comments and thoughts; so if you are Christian and an artist then please do get involved.

You can send a response by email to the Editor, or by writing a letter and sending it to the Arts Centre Group office. Subsequently we will post these articles in the members area of this website.

	WE ♥ THE ARTS There was a scene in the BBC1 serial drama Holby City recently that made me think. A young nurse was working hard, caring for her patients. She was competent, dedicated and compassionate; she loved her job, she exclaimed. But then, in this episode, the senior 'Matron' character took her to one side, to advise her. The Matron said: "give your work your body and mind, but not your heart and soul; keep those for Mr Right." It bothered me whether this was a fair reflection of the 'caring' professional's attitude, and whether it was a similar story for 'non-caring' professions? Much of the commercial arts scene was built on love stories, poems and songs, I'd say. But in modern practice there is a dichotomy between creative content and business. There is a sense that to be 'professional' you must lay aside your feelings and accept the bottom line. Is love then, not welcome in the workplace? Is it impossible for Christians to 'above all, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony? COLOSSIANS 3:14. What can Christian artists and media workers do to present love, as Christ loves us? And if you are an actor, please consider, what might your advice be if you were playing the part of the matron - could her words be rewritten from a Christian viewpoint? Do share your thoughts with us via email or letter. [Contact details below]
	MODEL BEHAVIOUR - The Image of Success? How do you picture success? A video documentary film Picture Me followed the career of model Sara Ziff. From a mid-teen age Sara's life involved being photographed wearing clothes by top designers, travelling up and down the catwalks of New York, Milan, Paris and London, appearing in glossy magazines and on international billboards. After a while, some months, and then years on this circuit, the documentary captured Sara saying "fashion is an industry of illusion; you become this living doll; you're a body that's not connected to your mind or your heart." What started out as an exciting job opportunity, earning a lot of money in a short space of time - one image of success - was in the end, disheartening. Sara left the industry and went back to college. Does 'only the devil wear Prada?' Is there such a concept as Christian fashion? Is there a particular style of clothes or design, different shapes or form that can espouse God's Word (MATT 6:28), that He will clothe us? My Bible Thesaurus lists: best clothes and special clothes, purple clothes and red clothes, tassels and fringing, royal robes and princess' dress. It sounds like we should dress to impress. Do you have an image of success? My picture is of a rainbow. It is a promise of success, and was an answer to prayer. If you would like to write an article on this subject, in response to these observations, please do be in touch. [Contact details below]. Or send your own picture of success for the next issue.
	CHRISTIANITY IN A COMPETITIVE CULTURE Did you know that the Bible is now accessible through the X-Box 360? A new visual media version: the 'Bible Navigator X' has just been launched, making the Bible now downloadable through the console and deliverable directly to the gamers' television screen. Immediately, I am wondering if this application will help God win souls in conflict? Gaming culture is characterised by the urge to compete; to win a contest, to determine a result through skill. Is it like entering a spiritual battle? Whether a person competes against someone else, the console, or themselves - you are willing yourself to do better, to race and in some games to destroy. I don't want this intro to appear discouraging, because the gaming arena, like all other media and arts areas, is a place where Christians are called to be. But since sales data for 2009 shows that the number 1 X-Box Indie Game was 'I Maed A Gam3 W1th Zombies 1n It' (this is not a typo), I am asking the question - how might the Bible compete? If in the gaming world, the competitive nature is the ultimate weapon, what does that mean for the human soul? Is it right to compete and rival each other, when in God's eyes we are all equal? Does it stir up feelings of power and supremacy, instead of Christ-like submission? In 2 TIMOTHY 2:5, Paul writes: An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. So can some games be an opportunity to teach us about spiritual combat, where good overcomes evil? Perhaps next we might see a game version of 'David and Goliath'... If you would like write in response and send an article or comment for the next issue of ArtzVille, then please get in touch. [Contact details below]

Copyright 2010, Arts Centre Group

Contact Details

Please send your thoughts, comments, quotes, pictures, stories, experiences to The Editor, by email to:

editor@artscentregroup.org.uk.

or by letter to Arts Centre Group, Menier, Chocolate Factory, 51 Southwark Street, London SE1 1RU, by Friday 9^th April 2010.

If you are an ACG member and are interested in joining the editorial team please contact the Editor.