Play Time in Seoul - Happy Armed Force's Day!

I was passing by the shops in the Bukchon Hanok Village area of Seoul,  when I was grabbed by an image in a window, and discovered an exhibition  ......

Play Time-Dana Ramon Kapelian Exhibition, 1-13 Oct 2013, Jongno-gu

The visual artist, a French-Israeli photographer, who studied in San Franscisco, was present and happily signed a card with the soldier image. I commented that it was an appropriate image for Korea's Armed Forces Day. (celebrated every 1st October, to mark the 38th parrallel being taken in the Korean War)  She hadn't made the connection ....

The image made me think of the thin line between play and reality, and how even great empires play at war. The war between the North and South Korea is still being played out, under an fragile truce.  Yesterday's parade was all about a show of strength (see BBC news) another type of exhibition. But it is a more costly game, and countless lives are lost. As the old protest song goes: 'when will they ever learn, when will they ever learn?' 

The exhibition is entitled PLAY TIME  and her other images are previewed here
It is currently on at Gallery Gahoedong 60, presenting the solo exhibition of the Israeli artist, Dana Ramon Kapelian.   She writes about the exhibition: 

The images are about the boundary between a child's imagination and an adults fantasies and actions. It is all in the seer's mind.Things can be interpreted as innocent or devious, playful or full of temptation.

and the text that inspired her .....

In many shamanic societies, if you came to a shaman or medicine person
complaining of being disheartened, dispirited, or depressed, they would ask one of four questions.
When did you stop dancing?
When did you stop singing?
When did you stop being enchanted by stories?
When did you stop finding comfort in the sweet territory of silence?
Where we have stopped dancing, singing, being enchanted by stories, or finding
comfort in silence is where we have experienced the loss of soul.
Dancing, singing, storytelling, and silence are the four universal healing salves.
by Angeles Arrien Ph.D.
(the author of The Four-Fold Way: Walking the Paths of the Warrior, Healer, Teacher and Visionary)

Singing, dancing, stories and silence... I like that.   There is something about becoming like a little child in order to enter the Kingdom of God ....


I'm staying at the Doo Guesthouse.  It's a traditional Hanok style of Guest house. Very Korean.  
I'm taking the opportunity to catch up with some blogging. (I'm surprised to discover its been nearly 3 months - I'll try to fill in some of the gaps with some retro blogging - a new word I've just made up!)  

Not quite what you would call a typical day at the office  but #someonehastodoit. It's just a part of the life on the road, wandering for the love of God

Perception

I went to the opening night of 'Perception' in Southall

My colleague Jonny Baker is part of the London Independent Photography (Ealing Group).    He blogged about the photo exhibition and sent me an invite.  15 photographers were interpreting the theme of Perception in their own way. 

I thought it would be good to go with my son Jonny, who is studying photography and film making. He has his own website where you can see some of his images: a space for brief moments of introspection. There are sections for moving images and iphotographs (instagrams images) as well as a photo blog.

I like the ethnic make up and cultural mix of Southall, where the exhibition was taking place,  although that was not reflected that much in the photographs. There were some great images and a good turnout - wine and nibbles always helps. The Dominion Arts Centre seems to also have a great footprint with many diverse groups using the place.  If you are in the area (up til 6th July)  pop in and have look-see.  

Southall is also a great place to have a curry afterwards... 

Creative Spirit: The Methodist Art Collection

One of the Highlights of last year's Greenbelt 2011 was the Exhibition of some of the Methodist Art Collection. I wrote about it in a previous blog: Dreams of Home. The Collection had some stunning images under the theme 'Jesus in the everyday' and I spent a couple of happy hours staring at them. I also bought the CD Rom Collection and Study Notes 'Creative Spirit".   

There was a lot to inspire, but my favourite image was Dalit Madonna by Jyoti Sahi

Dalit Madonna  Oil on canvas 148cm x 119 cm  (c.2002) Jyoti Sahi,  b. India 1944 

Unlike in Europe , where midwinter is a time of darkness and cold, lifeless earth, in Asia the winter season is a time for rejoicing, and bringing into the home, the fruits of the earth.
That is why in this image of the Mother and Child, the relation of Mary to Jesus is symbolic of the transformed earth, which becomes like a full vessel of life. The Birth of our Lord is in this way celebrated every time we come together for the Eucharist.

 From the Creative Spirit notes on the Methodist WebSite

Jyoti Sahi

There are links to the images on the Methodist Website and the CD Rom is worth getting.

You can also watch a brief YouTube video on the Methodist Art Collection which gives you an idea of the variety of images available.



If you want to find out where they are being displayed next have a look at the calendar 

Codex Sinaiticus online

Nothing to do with a new tablet for a naval passage blockage - that would be 'codeine sinusitus' - but everything to do with the oldest version of the Bible in existence. Now available online. Worth just having a look at the text even if (like me) you can't read the 1600 year old greek. No worries there as a translation running aloongside the photographed parchment  

Codex Sinaiticus, a manuscript of the Christian Bible written in the middle of the fourth century, contains the earliest complete copy of the Christian New Testament. The hand-written text is in Greek. The New Testament appears in the original vernacular language (koine) and the Old Testament in the version, known as the Septuagint, that was adopted by early Greek-speaking Christians. In the Codex, the text of both the Septuagint and the New Testament has been heavily annotated by a series of early correctors.  The significance of Codex Sinaiticus for the reconstruction of the Christian Bible's original text, the history of the Bible and the history of Western book-making is immense.

I read about it in the Church of England Newspaper CEN  in an article by Toby Cohen  'World's oldest Bible gets new lease of life' 

Professor David Parker from the University of Birmingham’s Department of Theology, said: “The transcription includes pages of the Codex which were found in a blocked-off room at the Monaster y of St Catherine in 1975, some of which were in poor condition. This is the first time that they have been published.

“The digital images of the virtual manuscript show the beauty of the original and readers are even able to see the difference in handwriting between the different scribes who copied the text. We have even devised a unique alignment system that allows users to link the images with the transcription. This project has made a wonderful book accessible to a global audience.”

 The British Library is running an exhibition form 6 July to 7 September called 'from Parchment to Pixel' 

      have a look at the online gallery