Arts Articles
Messages out of the blue
In the Friend of 23 August Judy Kirby wrote ‘Quakers like to think of James Turrell, the installation artist, as theirs’. It often seems like that. James Turrell and his work have become increasingly well known in the UK in the past few years and 2013 shows a positive effulgence of his...
How it began
On 11 July 2000 the prison vicar broke the dreadful news to me: ‘Your brother Daniel has died. He took his own life.’ I sat in the office in pure silence, trying to absorb what I was told. ‘You’ve got it wrong,’ I said. ‘I’m waiting to see Daniel when...
Quaker connections
Our Meeting didn’t do Quaker Week this year; we did Quaker fortnight! From 22 September to 6 October, with the unwavering support of our Business Meeting, we extended our outreach by hosting an exhibition of our art. Our outreach committee was set the challenge of attracting more visitors into our Meeting...
On first seeing www.quaker-animals.org.uk
While earth, great dumb stepchild of the sun lumbers slowly round First Day again, a dusty caravan clops and pads up the steps to the Meeting house.
Souvenirs: A play for survivors
Write to Life has never had an impact like it. There was rapt attention and laughter. But by the end, at least half the audience was in tears and all the performers near to it. Thus writes Sheila Hayman, coordinator of Freedom from Torture’s creative writing group, Write to...
Webs
He’s an ‘expert in communication’, his interest is plugged-in to copper wires and unseen radio-waves, his safely-distant coffee grows cold skin, two biscuits are softening, in his dedicated space nothing visibly alive growing, breathing, pulsing – is welcome,
The Inspiration of Seeds
Thinking about Seeds of Inspiration Led to a veritable bean-feast of thoughts about seeds. I think you’ll agree, seeds are pretty amazing, So let’s concede the Inspiration of Seeds.
Sing with conviction
It all began when, among the newcomers to Meeting, was someone who had made a round trip of fifty miles to come. This was not that unusual in North Scotland Area Meeting. I mistakenly thought he’d newly moved to join the music department of Aberdeen University.
Word
The questing Spirit lights the receptive soul. Stirring, the mind in turn conceives a thought. The beating heart sends fresh blood to the brain To forge words whence the sentence may be wrought.
The Nayler Passion
In the summer of 2006 I was immersed in rehearsals of the latest Leaveners youth theatre project George and the Chocolate Factory in Birmingham. Over the dinner table one evening discussion turned to the question of ‘what next?’. The Leaveners had seen musical explorations of the lives of George Fox, Elizabeth...