consider contributing to my next installation

i am working towards a new installation, which will involve 2 main elements:

1. a wall of "God's eyes" or ojo de dios (the small yarn crosses that are also symbolic "eyes") - which means hundreds, if not thousands, of them. you can get more information about how to make them here and here and here.

2. 100 [small] drawings on paper. these drawings will be based on a figure template i've created that i would like you to interact with. you can draw on it, paint it, collage it, translate it into other media (such as photography, ceramics or wood, video, etc.) as long as you send me the original or an image/ copy of it for my research files. the point isn't how artistic you are but how you engage with the image symbolically. if you could title it or name it (or include a quote, song lyrics, or some sort of literary reference) that would be helpful as well. i would like to acknowledge your contribution to the installation as well, so don't forget to include your name when you submit any pieces.

if you are interested in contributing and participating, simply leave a comment here and i will send you the PDFs of the figure (and the ojo de dios if you want). make as many or as few as you wish. pax.

edward says, check it:

...i'm on twitter. why? you may ask. well, i often send out various missives and discoveries to friends and acquaintances referring them to interesting websites or articles about art, artists, design, film, faith, books...a friend suggested that, rather than inundating people with one-line emails, i use twitter. so i'm going to give it a shot. it's simply one more way to get things out there.

fyi: my twitter ID is etechne

a valentine's day poem for my wife

(o my)

love - there are moments!
in the night, in the morning; when i least expect
surprise, sing heart & body
afire & aglow & incandescent

my love -
all is forgotten, then, in those moments: name, time,
regret, fear, doubt. all of it - lost in you.
it is everything, this forgetting, this
emptying, this filling with life, this

vigour, this strength. this moment. this, now.

the question of Truth

part the fifth (and last)
While I have been presenting some questions that relate specifically to the artist, these questions also relate to each one of us. We all need to establish who we are, and what we have been created for. We need to determine that we will embrace being a co-worker with God in fulfilling His purposes. And we need to discover who we can serve with those gifts and talents, and thereby honour God as we walk out our calling. This calling is not our job – it is reflected in our passions, and the things that stir our hearts to joy, to compassion and to sorrow. That calling shapes and informs everything we do, but always in relationship to others, whether God or the various communities we interact with (family, schoolmates, co-workers).

Ultimately, I believe that the calling of the artist (as well as every christian) is to proclaim Truth. The artist must engage the world as it is, and declare or reveal that which could, or should, be. The whole of existence is ours to explore and look at. There are myriad stories to be discovered and told. It is our responsibility and joy to say, “Look here! Look at this! What can we learn from this?”

I just want to declare Truth, and declare it well. Even better, I want to live it.

the question of community

part the fourth
At this point, we’ve established two very important things. We need to know who we are: artists called by God for a purpose. And we need to be faithful stewards – training and preparing and honing our skills, both technical and intellectual. Now what? As I’ve stated above, artists aren’t there to serve themselves, or to live for themselves. We have been called to serve a community, or communities. That is our “ministry”. That also means you have a responsibility. Take a look around you. Where can you serve? Where will you serve (because it really isn't optional)? Wherever you look you will see a need that you could address, whether through your skills or your work.

There is a reason so much contemporary creative work is alienating to people – it is alienated from community. At least, any community other than its own. While I enjoy a nice theoretical and conceptual puzzle every now and then, I have no illusions about the ability of such work to connect to the general population. If I want to connect and communicate something, I will have to make specific choices and take responsibility for what I make, how I present it, and to whom. It’s not a small thing to look outside your self and serve.

Further, the question of community is also important for artists as a tribe. Why do we often operate so independently? Why have we swallowed the lie of individualism and its isolating effects? How much stronger would we be if we learned to collaborate? If we learned to receive appropriate criticism and challenges from other artists? What if we were willing to be mentored and discipled and trained? What if it wasn’t about “me”?