DEREK WEBB FEEDBACK

Worship is a complicated idea.  Arguably, it’s what we all do, 24 hours a day (regardless of what we’re worshipping).  And I’m aware of a lot of “worship product” in the marketplace I sometimes occupy.  So I was cautious when I first started receiving the coordinates that would lead me to make ‘Feedback’.  It was immediately conceptual and ambitious, so much so that I genuinely wasn’t sure
I could do it.  But this seemed to be the perfect posture in which to create something worthy of being called a “worshipful” piece of art.  So I studied, meditated, struggled and prayed my way through this creative process, and it’s easily the most challenging thing I’ve done in my career. But I believe it’s been worth it, even just for the ways it’s stretched both my creative process and my faith
as a follower of the Way.

For me, the layers of these paintings represent the history of the Lord’s prayer itself. Just as we continue to build up and layer over the foundations of our society, so has the journey of entering into the prayer of God. It’s written throughout our history. Though it may at times seem covered up, it’s still amidst all the glitter and decay... speaking to us, telling us about something ancient yet resonating with our life today. The graffiti is less about words (although there are meanings to all of them) and more about the emotions and textures we find throughout our modern society. Just as we see traces of creative life throughout our cities, so too we see symbols and signs of the Lord’s prayer throughout our world. To me the music and the images forged together in this project are a modern urban meditation on an ancient contemplative pathway to the Almighty.

One of my favorite things in the world is when something becomes accidentally beautiful... like the shadows of a junkyard, the remnants of a stripped billboard or the abstract pixels of a non-functioning television. It’s in these moments that I’m reminded of God’s beauty in all creation, both purposeful and accidental. ‘Feedback’ feels like the audio equivalent of these visual accidents. In either scenario, I’m drawn to pause and take notice.
I’m drawn to listen. I’m drawn to worship.