Common Grounds

Coming to a nearby place near you...

Common Grounds: your arabica supplier since March 2011 (or whenever we get our permit)!

Shenanigans Are What He Does

I won't say that Banksy is a hero of mine. But, I will say that he fascinates me. Maybe it's my affinity for adventure and suspense. Maybe it's my evil inclination toward rebellion. Banksy, to me, is the Robin Hood of artists. He is a skilled graffiti artist who not only has something to say but says (paints) it skillfully. I feel that he very effectively delivers a pointed criticism of Western society through his renegade art.

Needless to say, I excitedly anticipated the release of his documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop. Although I expected the film to be solely about him, in reality in turned out to be a documentary mostly centered around an eccentric, obsessive French cameraman, "Mr. Brainwash," who tries to make a documentary about Banksy and other street artists. Mr. Brainwash, having gotten on the inside circuit, then decides to put together his own plagiaristic street-style art exhibit (he pays other artists to create and then tweaks their work and calls it his own). Oddly enough, his exhibit's buzz snowballs into an underground craze, mostly because he convinces Banksy to give him a blurb for the sake of advertisment. Thousands of Los Angelans show up and his exhibit is a huge success, to the surprise of all the contributing artists.

There has been debate about whether or not the entire documentary is a hoax, that Mr. Brainwash was an actor and that the whole thing was staged. This is a viable possibility considering Banksy's sketchy personae. Conveniently, his identity remains concealed throughout the production and release of the film. And it's a pretty far-fetched story. Yet, it's hard to tell because the mystique of the street art scene makes it seem believable.

Either way, Exit Through the Gift Shop has been nominated for an Oscar, and there are a lot of questions surrounding the nomination. Will he show up? Will it win? Will he accept the award? Will he reveal his identity on live television?

There has recently been an appearance of a new piece by Banksy, popularly titled "The Crayola Shooter," a piece we can assume to be taking a stance against the conscription of child soldiers (see the picture to the right). This has caused stipulation as to whether this new mural is Banksy's way of pandering to the academy.

The academy awards have (somewhat embarrassingly) caught my attention from an early age (mostly because I like to see all the pretty ladies in pretty dresses). The media has been playing up the event for the past few months, yet Banksy's nomination is the sole reason I have interest in tuning in this year.

But alas, my Sunday nights are booked....anybody got Tivo?

speedily, in our days

ADONAI, I have heard the report about you. ADONAI, I am awed by your deeds. Bring your work to life in our own age, make it known in our own time; but in anger, remember compassion. 

Habakkuk 3:2

Patience and Expectation

The mother of expectation is patience.  The French author Simone Weil writes in her notebooks: "Waiting patiently in expectation is the foundation of the spiritual life."  Without patience our expectation degenerates into wishful thinking.  Patience comes from the word "patior" which means to suffer.  The first thing that Jesus promises is suffering: "I tell you...you will be weeping and wailing...and you will be sorrowful."  But he calls these pains birth pains.  And so, what seems a hindrance becomes a way; what seems to be an obstacle becomes a door; what seems a misfit becomes a cornerstone.  Jesus changes our history from a random series of sad incidents and accidents into a constant opportunity for a change of heart.  To wait patiently therefore means to allow our weeping and wailing to become the purifying preparation by which we are made ready to receive the joy which is promised to us.

from Out of Solitude by Henri J.M. Nouwen

Ruined

ruined

i am undone

i have tasted of You

and now hunger for more

there is nowhere else to escape now

no lesser pleasure

to quench my burning desire

i am ravished by the feel of your nearness

no other flavor compares with what i've tasted

there is now only one thing to seek for satisfaction

i am undone

i am ruined for anything else

this is how you draw me to Yourself.