BeachcomberFX

Tag: Art

  • Public Art – Murals

    Public Art – Murals

    Hi folks, I hope you are doing ok? This week we are meeting at the Enigma Tap, I hope you can join us.

    This week I want us to think about public art, namely murals. Over the last few months North Shields has seen two new murals be created (see images), both by Prefab 77 (Pete Manning) they can be found round the corner from the Enigma Tap on the end of what used to be the Old Hundred on Albion Road, this is called ‘Siren’. The other adorns the wall of King Street Social Club, and is called ‘Angels Live In Our Town’. Both have been created in black and white and have added some vibrancy and talking points around the town. And there may be others being created in the months to come.

                        

    Now murals aren’t new of course and many cities around the world have created trails… If you go to Leeds you can do a Leeds United Mural trail, I know its niche! Glasgow has a trail. https://www.citycentremuraltrail.co.uk/ There are trails in London, Glastonbury, Bristol, Berlin, Derry, Copenhagen, to name a few.

    As I have looked at the murals in North Shields over the last few weeks different things jump out at you depending on where you look and what is kind of going on in life. Right now the image that caught my attention was the skull in Angels Live in Our Town, not least because we are heading in to all souls/day of the dead celebrations. I think it’s also linked to last week’s blog when I reflected on death…

    If you have time over the next few days why not go and take a look at them… They are impressive. I wonder what strikes you about these pieces of art?

    The other thing that strikes me as I have reflected on these murals is the titles that have been given to them. ‘Siren’ comes out of Greek mythology and is a female human-like being who is supposed to be alluring and dangerous! As I read about Sirens it seems that they found their way into early Christian thought… Saint Jerome, who created a Latin version of the bible, used the word to translate jackals in Isaiah 13:22, and also owls in Jeremiah 50:39. Ambrose suggested that Sirens are allegory for worldly temptations!!

    The other title I find really interesting is ‘Angels Live In Our Town’. I wonder what thoughts this conjures up for you? I love the idea that everyone we meet is an angel… as we meet people we are challenged to see the best in them… to imagine what people can be… I think in the midst of the world’s issues this is a powerful message for our time.

    One of the other thoughts I have had is about Joy, the joy that comes with seeing something beautiful as we walk, and so i’m also reminded of the joy that we have given through the Christmas Angels project, they produced a moment of joy and wonder… I think that’s what public art does, it creates wonder and joy as we go about our lives. Interestingly if we considered each person as an angel… what a moment of wonder that could be for us, and so I think it also says something about the ‘divine spark’ within each one of us.

     

    So some questions:

     

    What has been the best public art you have encountered?

    What do you think of this kind of mural public art?

    What strikes you about the murals? What are you drawn to?

    What do you think is going on by interpreting phrases like Jackal and Owl as sirens in the bible?

    What comes to mind as you consider ‘Angels Live In Our Town’?

    What moments of wonder or divine spark have you seen this week?

    Images by Rob Wylie

                  

  • Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

    Hi folks, I hope you are well? This week we are meeting at the Crescent Club upstairs in the front lounge at 7.30. We hope we see you there.
    This weeks blog is written by Martin Hood… Also a reminder that if you would like to write a blog for us around a song, movie, book, art, etc. Then please do let Sue or I know. Thanks.
     
    If our current theme/handle is the arts, then we might explore from:
    ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ through:
    ‘ we are meaning-making, and story-telling animals’ to:
    ‘what is your truth, post-modern person..?’
    But to back-step a bit…
    For a few years, I have occasionally dabbled with acrylic-painting, which is both creative and relaxing (and forces me to sitstill for a while!), but encourages a different way of looking at the world, playing with colour, seeing details, or the general impression; so what is produced is not photographic (partly lack of skill!), but an impression or interpretation. [An image below is such an interpretation from Avoriaz, some years ago, towards the Mount Blanc massif, while skiing.]
    Secondly, philosophically (and a bit academically), I have become interested in: ‘what makes people tick’: how we perceive, assume, think; what are the factors which influence that?
    So, thirdly, the  question becomes: How do we honestly dialogue with, and comprehend, others with rather different ‘world-views’ ( ideologies, faiths) and associated ‘pre-understandings’ about life..?
    Therefore, I offer this playful exercise, which has no right answer!
    In the souk, if you ask the price of the local rug and are told ” 1000 shekels” (or whatever) when you we thinking 200 might be nearer the mark, then the advise is generally to walk away.  The rationale is that if ‘1000’ is the baseline, it influences all further discussion.
    Use that as a metaphor for our thinking of the world: our baseline understanding affects all subsequent judgements.   A bright light in the sky might be a supernova or the herald of a great king; a rainbow might be scatter of different wavelengths of light through raindrops, or the pointer to a pot of gold; ‘football’s coming home’ (maybe) or sport has been corrupted by big business sponsorship…
    In our post-modern, individualistic, multi-cultural world, people have differing presuppositions, assumptions, priorities, and ways of construing the world; so in discussions we can’t assume safely that what we believe, and think, is the same as the person next us, even in the banter in BFX.
    So, it might be interesting/ illuminating, to offer these four pictures, below to look at/ ponder, and without constraining/ pre-supposing any schema, then share:
     
    1. which is/are we drawn to/ find interesting;
    2. what do we think about the picture(s): what lines of association do
    they produce;
    3. what is our response/ feelings towards all that;
    4. what does all that say about us, and how we differ;
    5. what might our shared responses illustrate/say about our world-view/ our faith..?’
     
    Martin.
    Supporter Image by Tung Lam from Pixabay
    All others by Martin.