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Snapshots
Category: Arts
We have been working on the cocoon this week and gradually transforming it into a chrysalis with hand-made paper.
It is becoming a tomb for the hopes and fears written into it by many folk over the past month of Lent.
The physical transformation of the cocoon represents our longings for God to be at work in our lives, making something beautiful from the fragments of our holy desires.
There is faith built into the structure – belief and hope that He can and will perform this transformation in our lives.
Watch this space for the final transformation on Easter Day!
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Chrysalis
Here is a wee preview of the next stage in the “Transformation” project.
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The cocoon develops
Our “Transformation” lent project continues.
People have been writing down the things they want to “let go of” so they can transform. The have also been adding the things they are “taking up” to aid their transformation.
Perhaps this is a little like dieting and going to the gym. Giving up bad food habits, and taking up exersise.
We are about half way through Lent now, and the cocoon is taking shape in St John’s building. Look out for a few surprises still to come!
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Transformation
Quartz Community Lent Project for 2023
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Rom 12v2. NKJV
We are making a willow and paper sculpture over the weeks of Lent which is on the theme of Transformation. The sculpture will start as a cocoon and represents the process of personal transformation that we all go through as we approach Easter.
Is there anything we want to let go of?
Is there anything we want to take on in the coming weeks?
Everyone will have an opportunity to contribute to the cocoon by writing words on paper which can be added to the structure. The cocoon will develop throughout the six weeks of Lent in surprising ways.
These words will symbolise our commitment to moving forward in our lives – and the sculpture will change and develop as we approach Easter!
No special art skills are required – we would like as many folk as possible to take part…thank you for your contributions.
“Spinning” a shell on the cocoon
If you e-mail quartz@wordsmithcrafts.co.uk then we will add your contribution, so you can take part wherever you are!
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Encouragement and Inspiration
I was sent this bible reference to encourage me.
The reasoning being, if God inspired these artists, then we should have confidence that our art can also be evidence of God working through us. Life is about more than deep thoughts, polished sermons, or even charitable giving. The text by a monk calling himself Theophilus that is used as a picture on this post expands on that theme.
Exodus 35:30ish
Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the LORD has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills — to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts. And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them skilled workers and designers. So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the LORD has commanded.”
Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work. They received from Moses all the offerings the Israelites had brought to carry out the work of constructing the sanctuary. And the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning. So all the skilled workers who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left what they were doing and said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the LORD commanded to be done.”
Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: “No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” And so the people were restrained from bringing more, because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.
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“Christmas Light” review
During Advent in 2022 Quartz used visual arts to give people the opportunity to contemplate how they shape light entering the world. We made several mobiles, strings of mirrors, that were hung in the building. They were beautiful to look at, and many people commented that the installation helped them contemplate.
The process of making the installation was as important as the finished work of art. So please enjoy the images, and take some time to explore the process as well.
This video has a quick run through of a process which took several months.
We invited Photographer Stephen Ross to try and capture some of the atmosphere created by the installation. An evening with some powerful torches and a wee bit of smoke, and these are the final images.
Travel through time on the Blog
The process was recorded on the Quartz blog. A main page for the project could be accessed through the “Activities” menu. The blog posts tagged “Christmas Light” built on this, step by step. They start with the first post introducing the ides for an advent installation from here You can follow the development of the thoughts and theology as the project developed.
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Advent Installation
Do you remember the canopy of Angels from Christmas last year? That was an example of a type of art known as an “Installation”. As a community art project it drew together ideas from a wide range of people, and worked in a relationship with the building it was hung in. The architecture and lighting…
And the main page which hosted the project while is ran as a current activity.
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Christmas Light
Follow this link to find out more! As Christmas approaches Christians are thinking about the light of Jesus coming into the world. All over the world we will be spending time becoming aware of ways in which this light makes the world a better place to live in. We invite you join us in this…
And the main page which hosted the project while is ran as a current activity.
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Nuggets of Christmas Light
As part of the Christmas installation this year we have been asking people to recognise the ways in which they bring light into the world, and their relationships. They have been writing words and drawing symbols as described elsewhere on this site. Here are some of the symbols of the “Nuggets of Joy” which have…
And the main page which hosted the project while is ran as a current activity.
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Peace
This picture is one of my early ones. It has been useful a couple of times recently.
This morning I was thinking about peace as I stood in to help out at a commemoration of remembering the day that Bruce killed Comyn in Greyfriars, Dumfries. The opportunity to help arose as a result of connections I made during the “Hidden Histories” project. It is one strand of a complex mesh of connections in developing local community work. Essential work but difficult to classify!
My role was portreying a member of the Grayfriars monastery community. As part of a team from the Bruce Trust to help the general public and a primary school class imagine the significance of the events and access their heritage.
We were hosted in a Church that is still known locally as Grayfriars although there is only a vague connection through the communion of saints living and departed. This helped link the history, with the spirituality, and the whole human experience of time though.
Characters included, King Robert, his sister Lady Christina, Lady Mary (who was imprisoned in a cage for years) and Tom the pilgrim to show that history is not just about kings and warfare.
Hopefully by retelling the stories surrounding the violence of 1306 in their home town, the pupils will be better able to understand peace and practice #SensingMeaningfulness
How the digital world can help us worship
at 6pm on Sunday the 29th of January we will be gathering in St Johns to use digital technology to worship together, and also explore ways in which access to the digital world can help us live out the Missio Dei, the mission of God.
In the beginning…
One of the first ways I experimented with using the internet as a place to develop ways of being digital church, about sixteen years ago, can be found here https://www.wordsmithcrafts.co.uk/cyberculdee/cyberpilgrim1.html
I was living in a farmhouse without a car and several hours walk outside town, but with broadband I could keep in touch with what was happening on the other side of the Atlantic. I just had to switch on my PC and I opened a door to a space where I could learn, pray, and be challenged and inspired. Here is one of the videos from that first pilgrimage into the online world.
The online world has developed considerably since then, and people who were born on the day I made that webpage are now sixteen and adults in Scots law. They have grown up in a world where having an online digital presence is more normal than reading newspapers and where they often communicate with their peers through digital media more frequently than in person.
Can anything good come from the internet?
As people realised that Covid was not something that would be over by Christmas they changed from hunkering down to shelter in a blizzard and started to adapt to prolonged lockdown. For many this opened their eyes to ways in which digital technology could provide ways to overcome the isolation of lockdown, and perhaps grudgingly at first they learned.
It will take a while to understand the impact of those years. This article describes a sequence of adapting to enable people who were isolated by lockdown, extending practices to involve them, and starts to ask questions about how the new normal might disrupt previous assumptions. This one explores similar issues at greater depth and lists some of the challenges to traditional church structures as a result of what was deemed possible and beneficial.
For those comfortable with digital resident behaviour when worshiping lockdown might have been a very positive experience. Prevented from the ability to attend a place they were geographically committed to, they found online spaces to gather and participate with others as Church.
Online spaces like this have existed for a long time, but congregations were swift to adopt video conferencing technology to provide a range of solutions. They used a mixture of interactive gatherings, live transmissions, and pre-recorded liturgies presented at a set time for people to participate in together from their own homes.
St Johns primarily used a combination of webpage and zoom coffee to adapt the 11 O’clock service. As Quartz we used a mixture of online and blended activities, and developed our use of technology to the form you are experiencing today.
A quick taster of what to expect…
Musical worship
We will be using Spotify to sing together. The karaoke setting provides lyrics and a playlist can be pre-selected or made collaborative from the app on peoples smart phones. This is a more social way to use the app than just using it to create a soundscape like the Candlemass one below.
Meditative prayer
Several members of the Quartz team use the “Pray as you Go” app. This is a chance to talk about that.
Intercession
Reading
The SEC gospel reading for the day can be found on the SEC digital calendar which can be viewed on a browser, or downloaded to the calendar app you use on your phone.
Or you could read it in many different translations at Bible Gateway Mark 1:21-28
and if you want to read, and be guided in contemplating the passage, here is something provided by the Jesuits in Ireland
https://www.sacredspace.ie/content/mark-121-28
What do you recommend?
Please bring your ideas, and any examples of ways in which access to the internet has helped you.
Digital Divide
We recognise, and understand, that if you have been working all week in front of a screen you might not want to spend your Sunday evening doing the same! The evening is a chance to meet in person, and converse.
A digital divide exists as well. In Scotland we have a high level of access to digital technology, but lockdown showed that there are rural families who rely on a satellite, and families where all the children needed to share the same device to access school. Please take a moment to look at these projects which work to improve access to appropriate technologies.
Digital Participation in Scotland
https://digitalparticipation.scot/
For further research and thought about this topic
Access to theology and worldwide academic research
To what extent can digital Church be Gods instrument for mission, or will those who engage with the divine online remain a marginalised community? This paper discusses online pilgrimage and some of the issues.
An introduction to another academic paper. I’ve not requested the paper yet, but it sounds interesting!
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Sparkling White
Did you know that part of the inspiration behind the name “Quartz” is the shining or sparkling white of St Ninians foundation at Whithorn?
It can be argued that the whole of the British Isles gained the name “Alba” in antiquity because of the “chalky white” cliffs in the south. “Candida” Casa uses a word which can mean “sparkling white”, and the way in which Quartz crystals shimmer can be a reminder of this.
The Christmas Light installation is now in place. Drop in between 10.30 and 4 to contemplate how light is received and reflected, shaped by all those who have contributed.
The deeper meaning for christians, especially at this time of the year, is for us to reflect on how we respond to the eternal light which has always surounded us. Recognising, Recieving, and then shining as Nuggets of Joy wherever we find ourselves.
For some better video clips – find us on facebook or Instagram!