Colossians remixed

Posted by Paul | Filed under uncategorised

I’m currently reading Colossians Remixed by Brian Walsh and Silvia Keesmat. Very very good. Can’t say I’m completely convinced on every detail, but lots of interesting (and provoking I suspect, but I’m only just getting to the Praxis Remixed section) points.

I’m particularly taken with their comments on imagination. The idea that empires (in our case, the consumerist culture) ultimately win by capturing the imagination of those they rule over. Hence, the necessity of subverting the imagination of the ‘empire’ and developing an alterative imagination. They use the example of subversive poetry (for instance, the role of Old Testament prophets), but it leads to thinking about how the visual arts can subvert and develop imagination in the same way. Especially in our highly visual culture. Not sure I’ve got anywhere on the details, but it’s hanging around the back of my mind.

I did begin to wonder if this isn’t an area that connects strongly with graphic design. It seems to me that graphic design is in many ways the art of the consumerist ‘empire’. So, maybe graphic designers are best placed to develop alternatives and subvert the dominant imagination. (Not that I’m thinking of anyone in particular :)

Tags:

Permalink | April 17th, 2005

One Response to “Colossians remixed”

  1. jonnyjpg Says:
    jonnyjpg April 18th, 2005 at 9:14 am

    thanks paul. very interesting. and challenging.

    trackback: http://www.analogueboy.org.uk/2005/04/prophetic-design.html

Leave a Reply