Sussex Host to 'State of the Arts' Conference

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A resurrection of a different sort took place on campus this Easter. The rebirth of contemporary art was top of the agenda at the third annual conference of The New Metaphysical Art group, formed by Sussex academic and poet Dr Peter Abbs with composer Jonathan Harvey and choreographer Anna Carlisle.

The theme of the conference was 'The Arts and the Renewal of the Spirit', with the speakers and performers exploring ways in which new metaphysical art can capture the spirituality of human experience. Performances by heavyweight composers John Tavener and Jonathan Harvey addressed the sacred and the spiritual in music. The quest to capture a sense of the profound was further explored in live dance performances by Amanda Banks and Nathaniel Reed, a poetry reading by Michael Hamburger and a discussion hosted by artist Andrzej Jackowski.

Unhappy with the direction of contemporary art, the group's manifesto rails against "the uncritical and endless use of parody and pastiche" and "the ironic and clever habits of postmodernists". They backed up their radical stance with a picket of the Turner Prize in 1997, which won them both notoriety and a groundswell of support. Their beliefs also inspired such luminary figures as the late Yehudi Menuhin to become a patron.

The group's primary commitment is to creating and exploring new forms of art, however, and their spring conference was a major forum for showcasing works which address the 'big questions' the group want to get to grips with. A "celebration of the living and the elemental in art today," according to Peter, the works were "an avant garde alternative" which examined the issues which govern our existence: our feelings of love and hope, and the spiritual journeys we make.

According to Jonathan Harvey, the conference provided a unique service. He believes that music can fulfil a need which largely goes unanswered in today's society: "States and churches no longer have the same authority as they once did. There is a spiritual crisis in the world, and metaphysical art can address it by giving people joy and enlightenment. People have to look inside themselves for the spiritual, and art can give them a map to discover their own depths."