Imagine 35 creative coming together for a weekend of fellowship, teaching and discussion on art and the gospel. Throw in the maturity and insight of speakers like Ellis Potter and artists Peter Smith, Luci Metcalfe and Phillip Archer. Let’s have some energetic performance from Dan Peterson, a stimulating environment like the Leith School of Art and together ask, “What is the Art of the New Creation?”

Put it all together and what have you got? One great Scottish Interface.

This year’s October event brought together all the right ingredients with just the right number of people there to make it feel like an event but not so many to get lost in the crowd. Most artists in the group had been to an Interface before, so the level of discussion went deeper and more insightful than previous weekends.

On the Sunday morning we prayed for the Arts and for one another, thanking God for the gospel and the gift of Art. There was a very tangiable sense of ‘togetherness’ as we headed back to studios and homes around the country to try and serve God through our art.

What they said:

“I don’t know whether I should be a painter or go down the theological route. Interface has helped me understand it doesn’t need to be a case of either / or.”

“There are no other Christians at my College and I don’t know any other Christians who are artists. I had no idea this help kind of help was out there.”

“Please pass the salt.”

Let’s get this straight: Jesus always triumphs. And so, at Null and Void, we triumphed too. Obviously, we were keen that the glory would belong to God, and not to us, which was why we had set about organising a joint exhibition featuring the Christian Unions from the Scottish Art Colleges in the first place. The aim had been to encourage interaction between the CUs- we always have a nice time when we see each other, so it seemed a bit silly not to do it more often. Furthermore, it had been noted that a couple of the colleges had exhibition spaces available for use, and so the seed for Null and Void was planted.

About 11 months of planning ensued, at the end of which I was an excited onlooker as the work from Dundee and Glasgow  arrived in the back of the ever-chivalrous Cully McCulloch’s  car, and the Edinburgh work departed in it for Glasgow. Our aim was to hang two simultaneous exhibitions, Null in GSA, and Void in ECA, with the first opening taking place on the Monday, and the second on the Wednesday of the same week. Each participant- mostly CU members with a few others (to keep things broad minded)- would put in work for both shows. We hoped to stage an ambitious exhibition with an interesting and challenging subject matter for Christians and Non-Christians alike. Our prayer is that through seeds planted by conversations, the art on display, our witness and our relationships, those who came will have been moved further towards knowing Jesus. I suppose that we can only do so much on our own, and God does what’s important, but it’s such a joy for us to be able to serve our Lord in ways that we enjoy.

On the whole, we had a fun time at the two shows. Lots of people came to them, which was nice. All manner of conversation happened, we ate crisps and drank wine (in Glasgow a lot of bagels also appeared, so we ate those too), we appreciated art and listened to a string quartet, we took photos, posed for photos, probably talked about the weather, and maybe even discussed art. Then we went to the pub/ Liz’s flat.  We enjoyed each other’s company, which was our first objective, and having lots of people turn up was an answer to prayer as well. It’s a lasting challenge for us to make good and relevant work when we open up to our friends and course mates, not because we’re elitist or silly, but because we can bless them and bless our Lord in doing so. It’s quite fun really. I might not have explained all this very well, and I wrote those first sentences (about triumphing) on a whim, but I think it’s true. It’s no reason to slack off though. I reckon that the idea for Null and Void could go a long way, and we’ve learned and been challenged and had fun and, in Christ, we’ve triumphed, which is a huge blessing. 

1. Dundee is really called Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD), and Glasgow is Glasgow School of Art (GSA). Edinburgh, incidentally, is Edinburgh College of Art (ECA), so there you have it. 
   
2. Cully was, according to rumour, christened David, and is the one and only Scottish Arts Staff Worker. If you meet him, chat to him: he’s excellent.
   
3. Liz doesn’t live in a pub, we went to her flat after the opening in Glasgow, and we went to a pub after the opening in Edinburgh.
   

Every month the Interface Arts Relay Workers meet up for discussion, theology, kicks, giggles and art. We’ve been thinking about the biblical mandate for creativity. How we’re made in the image of a creative God and, as such, aren’t just free but called to make art with excellence for His glory.

We’ve been working on some dance film projects. Here’s some work in progress. What do you think?

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Do you remember Ellis’s idea for subversive evangelism?

So often we see Christians wearing T-Shirts with bible quotes and slogans that do more to alienate those who see them than stimulate conversation. We discussed subverting the whole slogan-on-a-T-Shirt thing, using words from Christ that you might not expect the Saviour of the world to have said, least still be recorded in the bible.

Jesus said to them, “Come and Have Breakfast” (John 21:12)

The context is just after the Lord has risen and his disciples have been out fishing somewhat unsuccessfully (and have you noticed how the disciples were ever rarely successful at catching fish? It makes you wonder why they ever went into the fishing business in the first place). Jesus makes a fire and invites them to eat with him. The art of a simple meal is such a beautifully spiritual and human activity. There is no need to justify it or draw tenuous theologies that aren’t there. Jesus invited them to “come and have breakfast”.

Is anyone interested in joining the T-Shirt project? Think about how far this simple slogan could go. What kind of reaction do you think a T-Shirt like this would provoke in your mates?

Here’s an initial design idea but I’d love to see some of your own. Get in touch and post ‘em up.

Ten weeks on from the UK Interface at Otford Manor and the ideas we discussed, the talks we heard, the commitments we made might seem like a fading memory. I thought I’d post a few reminders of our weekend together by posting some of the most quotable quotes from the weekend. This is going to be a bit like Interface ‘tapas’ . Lots of isolated nibbles offered to stimulate a greater and more satisfying meal. Why not add some of your own.

“Self Expression is Isolationist. Communication is Relational”

“Who was Jesus before I existed?”

“Art is any deliberate human action”

“Artifacto = made by the hand of man. God is not an artist. He is the original and truely authentic creator.”

“The world has become the salt and light of the church rather than the church being the salt and light of the world”