niccic

God Business is Good Bu$inessposted 6 july 2008

Niccic

As I am forever trying to get my head around the role of art and its effectiveness to create social change -I had mixed emotions in trying to justify creating this poster... but I did it anyway.
With Sydney hosting 'World Youth Day' next week, and also having the opportunity to be part of the lives of people and communities who have been affected by the church positively and negatively, I decided to let some emotions out.

The "church" feels like a 'Multination Corporation' to me, so to express this I designed an A1 poster titled "God Business is Good Business".

Sadly I have come to see the Church as a supreme Multi National Corporation of the world. With It’s simple but effective logo: The Crucifix, its product: The Bible, and Sustainable Income Plan: bashing the Crucifix into the dynamic, beautiful cultures of our world whilst installing fear of hell and human inadequacy into independent people. They have by and large done very well for themselves.

Even by conservative estimates, the Vatican's wealth runs into billions. The Catholic church is the biggest financial power, wealth accumulator and property owner in the world.

So why did I use colorful circles in this design to communicate my message?
I think my colorful circles are beautiful… I think a great way to reach the hearts and minds of people is through beauty; yes "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" and so it should be. But as I see it and as the dictionary sees it - beauty is a quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, and that’s how I feel about my circles.

Question: If you listened to a beautiful melody carrying a message that you disagreed with, do you think you would be more open to reconsider it, then if you listened to a distasteful melody carrying the same message?

Beauty has this transcending quality to create envy, greed and destruction but also forgiveness, it creates desire and can warm the heart. I have no interest in creating boring unappealing images or songs carrying obnoxious message like “BUSH IS A F*%CK”. It does nothing for me, nothing for the cause, it’s a waste of time, and just creates more "bad vibes". I have tried to be an effective communicator by creating a beautiful poster by using colorful circles and patterns mixed with a rather unpleasant message, sort of like the paintings of Fracis Bacon, and his grotesque and dark messages and images, disguised by the amazing colours and textures in the paint. I also think this is an effective way of being a non-violent activists, protesting clearly is not enough anymore… in my experience all it does is gives the media a chance to turn us who are predominately peaceful passionate people, into a group of violent anti conservatives...

WARNING: Emotional Bursts of Anger!

I just can’t brush off the dark and horrifying history of the church. The role it has had in colonialism, on the Aboriginal people of Australia, and the problems the church (and religion for that matter) has caused for families and communities around the world is simply sickening... getting a bit of the topic; I just don’t see why we need holy enterprises to live out religious teachings such as "treat others as you would like to be treated.

I do believe in Jesus, but more as just a man of the earth, clearly an influential activist who challenged the corrupt authorities at the time... I also believe in the Divine or a God, but remember the word 'God' is very ambiguous... just what is 'God'? until someone can give me an answer based on reason then my god will be of my making... my God loves art, music, the imagination, community, improving the lives of others, and is currently guiding me on my own spiritual path... The Pope (who somehow has a direct connection to god) will be arriving from one of the richest states in the world surrounded by a majority of people who represent the wealthiest half of the world... what is a man with that kind of money and influence for good will, doing in a place like Sydney when the other half of the world is more than ever in need of help... perhaps he is largely promoting his product. As for helping the poor - perhaps no other organisation on the planet spends more on the poor than the Catholic Church, but perhaps no other organisation has done so much harm to the world as well.

Also if your wondering who the Man and the Woman are -check out 7th Heaven.