Preparing for INTERACT
Welcome newcomers into the group and catch up on what you've been up to this week.
Then start your discussion with this question:
What motivates you to create?
INTERACT//The Arts
Lakwena's bright and bold work can be seen across the world in the form of large-scale murals. Her work is filled with joyful positivity and optimism as it combines colour and text to offer messages of hope in urban landscapes. Her work is also gently critical, subverting the messages we receive all around us everyday. Lakwena highlights her work as largely inspired by her deeply rooted Christian faith. In interviews, Lakwena often shares that her process of making begins with meditation, writing, and Bible reading. Responding to a question about what she feels her role as an artist is about, she answers:
"I think there’s a traditional idea of what God is; a lot of people see God in the colour of grey. I see God in fluorescent pink and gold and glitter and all of those neon textures – all of that is God to me. So I try to reflect that in a lot of my work.
I once read this quote [by philopsher Calvin Seerveld] that said as an artist it’s important to “fire your art until it emits sparks that warm, or burn, those it reaches.” And for me that how I see my work and my responsibility as an artist." [1]
Lakwena's focus in her making is to lift the eyes of the public to greater hope, optimism, and praise - not through religious propaganda or forceful messages, but by opening up the power of words in shaping our relationship with ourselves and reality. Through these simple, accessible, and decorative pieces, Lakwena's work helps the public eye to look forward and dare to dream of the deep-rooted hope of better things to come. Explore more of Lakwena's work here.
Discuss:
What are your initial thoughts on Lakwena's work?
In today's society, we are surrounded by different messages from ads, social media, street art, and many other places about how we should live and find fulfilment. How is Lakwena's work similar to the everyday messaging we receive? How is it different?
Look through Lakwena's wider body of work, what role does 'hope' play in her work?
INTERACT//The Word
Read: Exodus 35 v 30 - 36 v 7
35. 30 Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— 32 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 33 to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts. 34 And he has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. 35 He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them skilled workers and designers.
36. 1 So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the Lord has commanded.”
2 Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work. 3 They received from Moses all the offerings the Israelites had brought to carry out the work of constructing the sanctuary. And the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning. 4 So all the skilled workers who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left what they were doing 5 and said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the Lord commanded to be done.”
6 Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: “No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” And so the people were restrained from bringing more, 7 because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.
Short Reflection
Read a summary of this account from Alastair Gordon's book Why Art Matters:
"In Exodus he [Bezalel] is tasked with setting up a small design school with his friend and creative collaborator Oholiab. Together, they start a workshop and employ apprentices who help them to render the artefacts for the tabernacle. They use the very best of materials, not just wood and wool but gold, bronze and fine gems. Bezalel is the first human in the Bible to be filled with the Spirit of God for a specific task. Rather than to a great king or a mighty warrior, it is reassuring for all Christians in the arts to remember that the first indwelling of God’s Spirit was given to a designer. Bezalel was filled with the knowledge of design, with the skill and ability to make all manner of crafts. He was also tasked with passing on his knowledge to the next generation." [2]
Despite the countless acts of disobedience from His people (including the worship of a Golden Calf as we saw last week!!), God does not give up on His people Israel. In fact, God desires to come closer to His people and so instructs them to begin building a Tabernacle. The Tabernacle will be a tented palace, built as a physical place for God to dwell with His people. Today's passage shows us God's preparation of a group of Israelites to embark on the design and creation of this great national project! The building of the Tabernacle is intended to be a small echo the Garden of Eden, a place where God dwells with His people to find out more on the Tabernacle check out this Bible Project podcast or its summary). It is no accident then that a big part of this design project is the call for specialist acts of creative stewardship.
It would have been understandable, following all the wrong and disobedient uses of creativity, for God to strip humanity of their task of creative stewardship (that we explored in part one of this series). However, even in the darkness of the human rebellion, God does not choose to take away humanity's creative capacity. In this passage in Exodus, we see God giving an opportunity for His people to steward their artistic talents how they were meant to - for his service! God is showing us that the right direction of our acts of creativity are for the purposes of worshipping and serving Him. In particular, these acts of creativity are intended to move God's people towards a closer relationship with God, rather than away from Him as was the case in the making of the Golden Calf. For us today, our making will not be so specifically directed by God, we are not asked to build contemporary tabernacles with strict instructions from God (the Tabernacle was made for a specific time and purpose). However, this passage is clear in highlighting that the correct motivation for our creative practices away from serving ourselves and towards worshipping God. How do we do this? The Bible isn't prescriptive, and we have to work out what this means for each one of us, but exploring works by artists such as Lakwena begin to help us think about what it might look like to make steps towards making good work in a contemporary context, whilst still directing our work towards the worship of God.
Discuss
What skills does God equip Bezalel and Oholiab with? For what reason does God give them these skills?
What are the main differences in the approach to building the Tabernacle, compared to the building of the Golden Calf only three chapters earlier in Exodus 32?
Consider:
a) The skills of the makers/designers
b) What is made
c) The materials used
d) The motivations of the people
In the past we have tended to imagine artists, writers, and designers as 'isolated creative genius'', how does this passage challenge this idea?
What does Exodus 35-36 show us is the ultimate purpose of our creative gifts?
INTERACT//Ourselves and Others
Reflecting on what you have discussed in Exodus, and what we have read of Lakwena's work and motivations. How might Lakwena's work be understood as an 'act of worship'?
Are you surprised that the first person to receive God's Spirit for a specific task is a designer? What encouragement does this give you as a creative?
What might worshipping God through your work look like in your specific creative context? How might today's discussion help you in this?
Wrapping Up
Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach often wrote the initials S.D.G. at the end of his compositions, it stands for 'Soli Deo gloria' (To God alone, the glory). Could you put this, or a similar phrase, on your desk or in your studio? You could even pray that it would create space for good conversations with your coursemates.
Pray to close:
Father God, we thank you that you delight in our creativity and have given us each special giftings and skills for us to use. Please help us not to use these skills for ourselves, but to share them with others, and ultimately use them for your glory. Help us to know what it looks like to worship you in our work each day and how we can give you alone the glory. Please grant us opportunities to speak to others about what motivates our creative work, and encourage others to see that they too are made to create for you. We ask for your help in all of this, Amen.
[1] https://www.huckmag.com/article/lakwena-maciver-explores-faith-and-mythology-through-electric-colours-and-patterns (original quote from Seerveld can be found in Bearing Fresh Olive Leaves)
[2] Alastair Gordon, Why Art Matters, 2021 (Pages 42-43)