Slightly off topic...but not really

I am finishing up a Master's class, Topics in Contemporary Communication through which we are studying the field of Media Ecology, or the impact that communication technology has on individuals and society. We are having an online discussion about the virtual reality game, Second Life. I had no idea about Second Life, but that is why one goes to school, right?...To learn about things they never knew. For those of you as ignorant as I, Second Life (according to its website) is a "free, online virtual world that is imagined (key word, here) and created by its residents." The heart of our academic discussion centered around the idea that technology "giveth" and "taketh." In our discussion, we unpacked what Second Life might be giving or taking away from society, and since I attend a faith-based graduate school, what Second Life's implications may be for Christians.

One of my cohort buddies posted a link to a MSNBC news segment (and according to our class, the jury is still out on whether MSNBC "news" is newsworthy, but that is another discussion all together) about Second Life's online religious experiences. LifeChurch.tv senior pastor, Craig Groeschel, explains their interpretation of "into the uttermost parts of the earth" as very literal. But really? ...into the uttermost parts of Other World, too?

Obviously, I am still processing what this means for the way we do church. I believe doing church through Second Life has some relevancy in today's culture, but I am still weighing the balance between what church through Second Life gives and takes away. If it is a virtual reality environment, then I can be whoever I want to be and "hyperpretend" my way through my 'imagined' (see above) life. The church sometimes has enough trouble meeting the real needs of people...how is it supposed to conceivably meet their virtual needs as well. Hmm...ponder.

Restoring my hope...

In light of my previous post on excellence in worship, I thought of a movie that began to restore my hope in the church producing art on the scale of the secular world. Facing the Giants was released in the fall of 2006, the year my son was a senior. He played high school football, and we attended the movie the same week his team was about to play the game that by winning would earn them a berth at the Section Championship game. I remember attending with my son, and being rather impressed with what I knew was a faith-based film. Now, was it Lord of the Rings worthy or of The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe caliber? Not even close, but maybe we are headed in the right direction?...at least concept-wise? Maybe?

Facing the Giants was a movie directed and produced by Stephen and Alex Kendrick, associate pastors of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. The church's media ministry organized the Sherwood Pictures label under which Facing the Giants was filmed. Provident Films then picked up the movie and distributed it into theatres across the country.

Facing the Giants was not the Kendrick brothers' first film, nor their last. Fireproof was recently released on DVD after making a decent theatre run as well. The Kendrick brothers have ignited a flame (pardon the pun) that there is hope for the church in this area after all. There is still much work to be done, though.

The Bible Experience

A friend of mine introduced me to The Bible Experience. I haven't had the opportunity to purchase this yet, but I just added it to my wish list. The Bible Experience is a newly released audio presentation of the Bible. Released by Inspired by...the Media Group, this work utilized over 400 actors, many award winning, along with an original musical score performed by the Prague Symphony Orchestra. Seventy-nine digitally mastered CDs for nearly 90 hours of a reenactment of the Bible. Quite an undertaking, I would say. The audio samples are quite impressive and believable.

Although this was the first I heard of it, it seems to be making news and earning rave reviews. Check it out.

Excellence in Worship

I wanted to introduce you to a few of my favorite things with a greater purpose in my mind. For me, experiences like Mummenschanz, Blast or Cirque du Soleil have one very important idea in common...they portray excellence. Mistakes or blips in the action do not hinder the experience of the performance simply because major mistakes or blips are not part of performance. Are the performers human and therefore capable of making mistakes?...Yes, but their skills are so crafted that there is little room for error; and if there is an error, the performers are professional and can cover the error or not draw attention to it.

We expect excellence in performance. And usually art, whether performance art or visual art, meets these expectations. Do we hold the same expectation of excellence in worship? This is a question I have wrestled with for many years. In my time as a drama director within the church, I cringed at what I called "hokey" performances within the church--whether from a worship team or drama team. By "hokey," I mean under-rehearsed, overly dramatic, poorly executed, or completely unbelievable performances enacted within the walls of the church and in God's name. I realize this description sounds harsh and judgemental, and my intent is not to be harsh; however, my intent is to wrestle with the great divide between what we expect from "secular" art performances and "Christian" art performances.

Maybe our expectations hinge on money--if we pay $50 for a concert ticket or $80 for a Cirque du Soleil show, we had better get our money's worth; after all, the performers are professional. The justification is that since most artists within the church are volunteer, the expectation of excellence shouldn't be a factor.

I beg to differ. My belief is that God deserves our very best, and that, as Christ-followers, our standard of excellence should be raised high. These are my thoughts...what are yours?

A few resources to help in the process:

Recognizing Art as Worship

It Was Good: Making Art to the Glory of God

Art For God's Sake

The Creative Call: An Artist's Response to the Way of the Spirit

Wait for it...

Those of you who know me best were wondering when I would be writing about another one of my favorite artistic experiences, Cirque du Soleil. The wait is over! One needs to experience a Cirque show for oneself in order to fully comprehend what I am about to describe in words. Cirque du Soleil is French for "Circus of the Sun." Homebase for Cirque is Montreal, Canada, and was founded by Guy Laliberte and Daniel Gauthier, two former street performers. Long story short, Cirque du Soleil has grown from one show/73 employees in 1984 to over 3500 employees today from over 40 countries producing 15 shows over every continent except Africa and Antarctica. Cirque performs traveling shows under the "grand chapiteau" as well as numerous permanent shows in Las Vegas and Orlando.

My first Cirque experience was the permanent show in Orlando, La Nouba. La Nouba is located in Downtown Disney. In fact, much of Disney's venues are sprinkled with a little flavor of Cirque du Soleil actors performing before the Disney shows. Our entire family was able to attend La Nouba and it was definitely a highlight of our vacation. Words really cannot describe what happens in a Cirque show other than to say it is circus reinvented. The show combines acrobatics, theatre and live music. I really have never quite fully understood the themes or story line in a Cirque show. A friend of mine attended a traveling show in the Twin Cities and likened it to an acid trip.

My best advice is to experience a show and then let me know what you think. As a matter of fact, Kooza will be showing July 3 - July 26, 2009, under the Grand Chapiteau in downtown St. Paul.

What a blast!

Next on my list of artistic experiences which have moved me is the performance of Blast. The concept of Blast originated from the drum and bugle corp, Star of Indiana. Star of Indiana was an 128-member unit of horns and drums that competed within Drum Corp International. While competing in DCI, the Star of Indiana won the World Championship in 1991. After the 1993 season, the Star began performing the same type of artistry, but moved the show indoors. Blast was released on Broadway and then began touring to theatres across America. This video gives an idea of a field show performance of the Star of Indiana. Blast retains the artistry of the instrumental music and outdoor pagentry, but moves the performance into a theatrical setting.

One of our favorite family activities is to attend Drum Beauty in Stillwater, MN, each summer. This is a DCI competitive event. One of our favorite drum and bugle corps to watch is the Phantom Regiment.

I have a few more experiences to share, and then I will post about what I feel each of these artistic works have in common -- excellence.

Mummenschanz

I know I said in my last post that I was going to speak on excellence in art, but I am still formulating my thoughts on that topic. Look for it soon, though. In the meantime, I will continue to introduce you to more art forms that I have found compelling in my journey. Does anyone remember Mummenschanz? This was a Swiss pantomime/creative movement group popular in the early 1970's. Utilizing props, masks, and movement, Mummenschanz would perform small vignettes of simple stories. Their clay mask vignette became one of their signature performances.

I remember seeing Mummenschanz "in concert" at the Ordway Theatre in the mid-1980's. I remember taking a friend of mine who wouldn't consider himself as artistic, but as more of a technical, sound-guy sort of person. Imagine taking an audio engineer to a mime performance. He was quite impressed with Mummenschanz's performance and amazed how they could create stories without words and with the use of common, yet unusual props.

Performances such as those of Mummenschanz intrigue me as I think about creating art. What compels artists or creators to look at rolls of toilet paper and say to themselves, "Look, a face!"...and then unroll the toilet paper afixed to face mask to represent tears, etc. The possibilities for art are limitless, and it is creations like that of Mummenschanz that continue to amaze and move me.