Art recommendations

[wildeabandon]

One thing that came out of my retreat that I am finding very difficult to put into words is this sensation of God as being at one and the same time something which is very still, very deep, unmoving and unmovable, perfectly peaceful and something which is in constant motion, full of dancing and lightness, delighted laughter and playfulness and song.

I would like to be able to hold onto this sensation, and this is a significant part of what drove my comment in the last post that I am feeling the lack of artistic or poetic ability more keenly than usual. I am sure, however, that people with more creative talent than me have found ways to express something similar, and I think it would be helpful to explore them, but I'm not quite sure where to start looking. As a general rule, the art forms that I find most engaging are those with narratives - written fiction and theatre first and foremost, but also film and television. But this being a more abstract concept, I think I might have better luck with visual art, or poetry, or music, or dance, but these are all media which I have only the most superficial knowledge of.

So does anyone have any recommendations, or ideas for how I might start exploring? I don't think it needs to be specifically religious art. I feel like there are probably some very rich metaphors in the still depths of the ocean and the dance of waves and wind and light.

Comments

[vyvyanx]

If you haven't encountered his poetry already, you might like Gerard Manley Hopkins? For instance, this one: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44395/gods-grandeur

[wildeabandon]

I am a little familiar with Manley Hopkins. He actually wrote some of his poetry when he was a student at St Beuno's, back when it was a theological college rather than a retreat house. I find it difficult though, and struggle with the sprung rhythms. I can see in the abstract that it's beautiful, but I can't quite reach it, if you see what I mean.

[ludy]

lovingboth is my go to person for "Risk Aware Consensusl Art Appreciation" (Visual Stress, Sensory overload and Processing issues mean I may need support not to bump into the walls, trip or just need a friend who recognises when I need to sit down quietly with a coffee before looking at anything else! after the intense visual stimulation of an art show- particularly video or light installations that flicker) so I definitely recommend consulting with him...

I find that abstract visual art can be very meditative and sometimes gives me "goddess-tingles" - Rothko is the obvious, almost cliche, example.
Sculpture and installations that you can move around (and sometimes move around in or even touch) can work like that for me too.

I'd be very up for doing semi-structured Visio Divina with you somewhen.
I find that (when I can get over the inner critic "you can't draw" head-weasels) making Rubbish scribbley drawimgs in response to a piece of art can help me get into it more deeply. As can movement (I have never understood why "dancing about architecture" is supposed to be a bad thing!)

I always feel like I'm on the edge of poetry and just don't fully get it. During one of the HPST things Dr Stephanie Paulsell spoke about diving deeply into Emily Dickinson during lockdown so that might be a place to start.

And to plug my favourite podcast network again, in The Real Question Casper and Vanessa are doing a floralegia each week around their particular question. Because it's audio the texts they are collecting together are usual written words, often essays and theory type texts but sometimes including sparklets of poetry or song.

[obandsoller]

At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance.

Burnt Norton, T.S. Eliot.


We should have a copy of Four Quartets.

P.S. I do not know much about gods; but I think that the river
Is a strong brown god

[(Anonymous)]

If you do not, I have a policy of always being happy to buy a copy of Four Quartets to anyone who needs one.

[atreic]

Oops, thought I was logged in. Although ‘anonymous purchaser of Eliot’ is a nice niche!

[obandsoller]

We do but thanks.
<3

[bella_luugosi]

Musically speaking, and it is a religious piece, I would suggest Rejoice in the Lamb by Britten: https://youtu.be/MMga5xcnY50

It's not fully narrative, but it has a lovely text and moves fairly effortlessly between very upbeat and dance style music and more solemn sections. The text is also a joy, reflecting on Creation praising God. It's from Jubilate Agno by Christopher Smart, which is an unashamedly quirky text and much more energetic and playful than a lot of more "ordinary" works of praise.

[wildeabandon]

Oooh, good call. I learned it whilst I was singing with the Huddersfield University Choir, but was so busy concentrating on learning my part that I didn't really do the thing of sitting back and appreciating it as a piece of music, which I shall now remember to do.

[smhwpf]

this sensation of God as being at one and the same time something which is very still, very deep, unmoving and unmovable, perfectly peaceful and something which is in constant motion, full of dancing and lightness, delighted laughter and playfulness and song.

That is a very beautiful description.

[lovingboth]

If you know, or could learn Python or similar, I would look at creating your own.

A Raspberry Pi plus LED display - sample <https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/ubercorn> can change from still to constant motion very easily...

I have a 4x4x4 LED cube powered by an Arduino microcontroller that I've programmed to display a cellular automata (a simple set of rules saying what happens next). It spends much of its time being green, but every so often, waves of purple and pink sweep over it.