Welcome to Culture Footprint, featuring one of the people of God making a difference in the world today, aiming to be an inspiring presence and telling the story of Christ in the culture.
Geoff Hall is the Arts Development Officer at Saint Stephens in Bristol, facilitating an Arts Mentoring Group. At St Stephens he runs a monthly cafe meeting called the Tree House. This creates a space for presentation, performance, critique and prayer, as well as reflection and meditation. He also coordinates Artisan in the Bristol Area, connecting with particularly new artisans, meeting them for coffee, seeing how they are doing and asking if there is anything they need prayer for, as well as entice them to the next prayer event.
Geoff studied Arts in Bristol and Exeter. He is a writer and director for Handy Cloud Productions, a new Bristol-based film company.
As a child what did you want to be when you grew up?
I used to stand on a rickety old bridge near the Hartlepool Steelworks and wait for the steam trains to travel by and obscure everything with their plumes of steam. Thought that was a cool job driving a train, but became disillusioned with the death of steam.
Then I thought of being a footballer. My Dad was a great footballer and my sporting hero. In the 1950's he turned down Matt Busby and a chance to play for Man United. I was a good winger and played for my town's youth team. However, I was accident prone, so surgery got in the way of this sporting plan. After that, I gave up thinking what I could be.
How did you get involved in the arts?
I blame Richard and Janice Russell. They saw something in me and gave me some good books to read: Seerveld, Rookmaaker, Dooyeweerd. Richard told me to use my brain, gave me a great reference and I ended up doing Art History at Bristol Polytechnic. I did a second degree at Exeter on Art Curriculum design. Became Arts Editor (for love not money) of a South African magazine 'The Big Picture', got sick of writing about what others were doing and started to write.
Writing is a compulsion. Without it I don't function or make sense of the world! I recently found a new home, as a director, which is strange at my age and considering I'd not been there before. Film for me is an essential part of a transformational spirituality; the passion and joy of creativity and story-telling in community.
What would you do with a million quid?
I'd resource a creative community in Bristol. Filmmaking (my first creative love), music, dance, visual art, writers.
Who has been the biggest influence in your work?
There are two really. Andrei Tarkovsky for his spirituality and cinematic storytelling. Richard Russell, for his belief in an unemployed electrician!!
Which movie character do you most relate to?
As a bloke I'd like to say Maximus (Gladiator), but I don't look good in a loincloth! So really it would be Steve McQueen as Frank Bullitt, or maybe Harrison Ford as Deckard in Blade Runner, if I'm suffering from Post-Modern jaundice.
What single thing would improve the conditions in which you work the most?
Money! Sorry, that seems superficial, but we need enabling to make things, to have a creative outlet. Wellbeing comes from fulfilling your calling. Business has to realise the investment potential here!! Please!
Tell us one of your most hilarious faux pas.
Telling my parents I was going to be a rock star, at the age of 10. We'd played a good set in the living room, with tennis rackets and biscuit tins and thought we were ready to take on the world!
What's the one thing you couldn't live without?
A creative community.
What living person do you most admire, and why?
Probably Bono, for his passion, creativity and realising the dream of U2. Politicians need not apply for the honour of my admiration.
What do you invest in the next generation?
Time and energy, passion, some would say wisdom, but I'm not sure. As an Arts Mentor I see so much potential which is unrealised ability. Realisation is not achieved alone, but in community. We are not called to self-realise, but self-denial through giving to others and GOD of course!!
What do you consider your greatest achievement so far?
I remain unconvinced that I have a greatest achievement. Time is running out.
What Christian story or biblical text motivates you in your work?
1 Kings 18 and 1 John 1v1-4.
Martin Luther King Jr had a dream for society. What is yours?
Creative communities who work for the transformation of culture, through loving their respective mediums, not to get a 'message across', but to tell stories which elicit conversation and not preacherly diatribes against secularised society.
What is the main hindrance to living the dream?
The Church doesn't understand that the world needs storytellers and not preachers or politicians, to make a real difference to the direction our society is taking.
My cultural highlight so far this year is...
Making our first film 'One' and creating a film production company to do it (www.handycloud.com).
What is your least / most green credential?
We recycle everything, but having recently watched the film Soylent Green, I think recycling humans may be a step too far!
How can the arts increase our wellbeing in the next 10 years?
That is Step Two. Step One is increasing the wellbeing of the Artist. Then we can work on the other stuff.
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Culture Footprint: Phil Schluter Phil Schluter runs a family coffee business founded in 1858, which specialises in African coffees. The enterprise trades in a socially responsible and ethical manner. Phil grew up in Kenya, did most of his education in the UK, lived in Switzerland for 16 years, and has been in Liverpool since 2009. He is married to Helen, and they have four kids under the age of seven – Luc, Jasmine, Gabriel and Josselin.
Culture Footprint: Bridget Adams Bridget Adams started her working life as a physicist in university and government laboratories before moving into the high-tech business sector where she worked in sales, marketing, management, and consultancy. Bridget now works to help start, develop and network Christian-run businesses, and runs WorkPlace Inspired. Business as Mission is one of her passions.
Culture Footprint: Theresa Stone Theresa studied English Literature at Goldsmiths University in London, before doing a multi-media journalism masters at Bournemouth University. She has worked freelance at Premier Christian Radio, Christian Solidarity Worldwide and Micah Challenge International. She is now the prayer & communications coordinator for 24-7 Prayer UK. Theresa has a passion for prayer, church unity, mission, justice, and telling God stories.
Culture Footprint: Steve Legg Steve is an evangelist from Littlehampton in West Sussex who has travelled the length and breadth of the UK and internationally for the last 25 years using a daft mix of comedy, trickery, mystery and escapology to communicate the gospel. He has also written 13 books and these days devotes a lot of time to running Sorted Magazine. Originally from Bournemouth, he became a Christian as a teenager at a Boys’ Brigade camp. Steve loves a good curry, never misses Eggheads on BBC2 and plays badminton every day.
Culture Footprint: Andy Silver Andy Silver is director of Pop Connection. A Welshman, born in Cardiff, he studied music at Cardiff University and then taught for a number of years. Andy gave up teaching to do a theology course which led him to work in a church as music director and youth/children's worker in Southampton. Next, he became director of training at Capernwray in the Lake District and then joined the staff at Elmwood Church Salford in 2000, where he started working in primary schools using music to create a long-term relationship between school and church. Pop Connection is a charity aiming to unite schools, churches and communities through the power of music.
Date Created: 14 April 2009
Last Modified: 15 April 2009
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