Quiet in the Studio

Come to the end of running a two week course for trainee promo directors. First week workshops including an excellent session on working with actors with Tom Shankland who's made BAFTA award winning films including Hearts and Bones. The second week in the studio making seven promotional films using the FA Cup as a brief - it's been fun but exhausting. Will post a movie here in the next day or two so you can see what we've been up to.

Weekend Services

Some excellent services as St Mary's this weekend with Grace on Saturday and the Sunday morning service led by Anna focussing on the Asia disaster. Will jot some thoughts here more fully later.

Also the Jerry Springer protests have been reverberating around the BBC. This scene from the main entrance of Television Centre. Apparently one vicar "cast the first stone" & burned his TV licence to loud cheering. I've yet to see the show so will reserve judgment, but these antics will undoubtedly have contributed to the healthy late night BBC TWO audience figure of 1.7 million.

100 Artists See God

Went to see 100 Artists See God at the ICA yesterday. Work including a pill cabinet by Damien Hirst, a goddess by Leonard Nimmoy and a bumper sticker by Jeremy Deller. The curators were not interested in the spiritual credentials of the artists and many were from California. I was inspired by the exhibition as an exercise in unlocking some unusual views - although many I didn't get. The most disturbing was a huge projection of an American Evangelist preaching on art performed for the exhibition. On Thursday Anthony Padgett will draw a work from the collection for a concluding "semi-ironic prayer"

Struggles with Faith

At this time of year it is traditional for a few extra people to visit church. I came across this blog written by a teenager in Canada whose father, motivated by the Asia disaster, asked if she wanted to go to mass.

Katola says "I just didn't see the point anymore of sitting on a pew having to pretend to listen to the priest's droning and unintelligible words"

Read the full posting here

Tsunami

The tragedy in Asia seems to get worse - 150,000 they are saying. Thanks for the note, Aranee (in Thailand) who says that she is fortunate to have only been a witness and will be helping all she can. The response from around the world has been remarkable but there are still many missing people as the BBC Message Board shows.

The picture is of the place I stayed on Phuket run by a couple formerly from England. I don't know if they are ok.

Our prayers are with everyone.