In a new Radix venture, we have teamed up with Christian contemplative and essayist Arthur Aghajanian who explores how images influence our understanding of reality and the sacred through conversations with thought leaders on art, visual culture, and religion. Each monthly episode will delve into a different area of visual theology, opening to spiritual wisdom while deconstructing an image-saturated world. In the coming months, you can expect to hear from the likes of Robert K. Johnston, Robin Jensen, Matthew Milliner, and Natalie Carnes.
For you to get a flavor of who Arthur is and what he thinks about, we invite you to listen to a conversation that he had with artist and writer Talita Jolene.
And now for The first podcast of Visually Sacred…
W. David O. Taylor is Associate Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary and the author of several books, including Open and Unafraid: The Psalms as a Guide to Life (Thomas Nelson/HarperCollins, 2020) and Glimpses of the New Creation: Worship and the Formative Power of the Arts (Eerdmans, 2019), as well as editor of For the Beauty of the Church: Casting a Vision for the Arts (Baker Books, 2010) and co-editor of Contemporary Art and the Church: A Conversation between Two Worlds (IVP Academic, 2017) and The Art of New Creation: Trajectories in Theology and the Arts (IVP, 2022). His forthcoming book with Baker Academic (March 2023) is titled, A Body of Praise: Understanding the Role of Our Physical Bodies in Worship.
In addition to a range of scholarly essays, he has written for The Washington Post, Image Journal, Religion News Service, Theology Today, and Books & Culture, among others. He serves on the advisory board for Duke Initiatives in Theology and the Arts as well as IVP Academic’s series, “Studies in Theology and the Arts,” and was a core participant in the four-year project, “Theology, Modernity, and the Visual Arts,” hosted by King’s College, London, involving annual conversations between scholars and artists in London, Chicago, Berlin, and Venice. An Anglican priest, he has lectured widely on the arts, from Thailand to South Africa. In 2016 he produced a short film on the psalms with Bono and Eugene Peterson. He lives in Austin, Texas. He tweets @wdavidotaylor and instagrams @davidtaylor_theologian.
In this episode, David and Arthur discussed the biblical concept of new creation and how it applies to the making and experience of art. They also talked about the fundamental place of creativity in human life and some of the ways that art can help heal a broken world. We hope you find their conversation as stimulating as we did.
Arthur Aghajanian is a Christian contemplative, essayist, and educator. His work explores visual culture through a spiritual lens. His essays have appeared in a variety of publications, including Ekstasis, Tiferet Journal, Saint Austin Review, The Curator, and many others. He holds an M.F.A. from Otis College of Art and Design. Visit him at https://www.imageandfaith.com