Frances Hawken

Local artist Frances Hawken has contributed hugely to the creative life of the parish. Frances likes to express her Christian faith through her art, and feels that involving the community is an important aspect of her work in the parish. Photographs by Peter Tulloch ARPS.

Here is her triptych for Five Oak Green:

  ...and the key which Frances has provided:

Colours
 - blue / green, purple, red, yellow and green
- window colours and chair colours

White – purity and light

Red –     tongues of fire, Pentecost

              blood – redemption

Gold –   holiness of God and Kingship of Christ

Green – creation provision for man’s needs

Blue and blue green – water, life source

Purple – Jesus’ passion

The Triptych was designed by Frances Hawken and was a church community project which involved several members of the congregation.

Altar Frontal

All Saints' Frontal for Ordinary Time was dedicated on Trinity Sunday, 22nd May 2005. 

The frontal and accessories for the Communion Table were made to replace the outworn old ones; the need for new furnishings was a great opportunity for a community project. As many people as possible were involved: each stitcher was prevailed upon to do a sample and then complete a word or part of the text. This was then joined to all the rest and applied to the background by Patricia Gregory, who made all the items. It took 6 months to complete.  

The design was a joint effort between Rev Dr Jeremy Ive and Frances Hawken, who masterminded the project. Jeremy Ive provided the Hebrew text and the following explanation for its inclusion:

"The text draws equally on the Jewish and Christian background (Chagall, of course, was Jewish). The text is the Jewish call to prayer, the Shema (“hear”). It was quoted by Jesus, who linked two separate commands in the laws of Moses, one from Deuteronomy and the other from Leviticus, to précis the Ten Commandments. In this way, Jesus underlined that the relationship which we have with God is bound together with the relationships we have with our neighbour, the person with whom we have to deal (whether we regard that person as a friend or an enemy). The spiral indicates that it all takes its source in the central call of Jesus, the word of God, from whom all things proceed. It also shows how our obedience to God needs to flow out to the whole of life."

The embroidery brought together differing people in the parish and beyond, making it a community venture from which all benefited, especially through getting to know and love our neighbours.

Perichoresis

Also in Five Oak Green Church is Frances Hawken's Perichoresis*:

... which Frances describes as follows:

"The Three Balls at the top of the mobile are in tones of the three primary colours:-

Blue      The Father leads in Creation

Red       The Son leads in Redemption

Yellow  The Holy Spirit leads in the Consummation of all things

The Three Balls are all the same size and are connected equidistantly in a ring, showing a continuous relationship between the three persons of the Trinity.

The Lace Strands from each ball indicate “the making space” and come together and blend into an upturned pyramidal shape.

Each Pyramid has as its base an equilateral triangle so reflecting the equality of the three persons. The outside colour being different on each pyramid symbolizes the leading roll that each person makes in this “dance”.

The points of the pyramids are joined to a Rainbow Spiral, so including all in this continuous “theatre” of Creation, Redemption and Consummation which is echoed by the Circle, the Cross and the Crown.

The White Heart, edged with gold, has 3 equal sides and angles illustrating the perfection the holiness and the purity of God, who loves."

* Perichoresis (by Jeremy Ive):
"The meaning of perichoresis is often given as dancing (which is a nice picture of the dynamic interaction of the persons of the Trinity), but strictly the Greek word is not “xoreuw” – dance but “xwrew” – make room, give way.  

Each person of the Trinity creates space for the others: the Son is given the authority of the Father for his life and ministry, is empowered (anointed) by the Holy Spirit for it, and in turn points to the Father as the one who sent him and gives shape to the mission of the Holy Spirit, who comes in his name to the glory of the Father.  It also involves the transfer of attributes which strictly belong to another person, for example, I would argue that we should read 1 Corinthians chapter 1 perichoretically, where we can describe Christ as the wisdom and power of God  (which in Paul refers to the Father), by virtue of his anointing (i.e. as Messiah, the Christ, the anointed one) by the Holy Spirit, from whose operation all wisdom and power derive.

This can also be worked out on the wider canvas of the whole history of creation where all three persons together, and yet each distinctly, the Father calling all things into being, the Son holding all things together (see Colossians  1 ) and the Spirit providing the dynamic for their development and perfection.  But in this process, each is dependent on the other in creating the space for this to happen, not only between themselves, but in the theatre of the creation as a whole.

It is also true as we look towards the future: the Holy Spirit opens up new possibilities in the name of Jesus, bringing all things more closely patterned on him, and in the authority of the Father, making us all more closely answerable to him."