Events

This audio-visual public lecture will consider, through the life and art of David Bowie, two key figures within Christian existentialism, both of whom emphasised that a truly authentic life can only be lived in relation to God. First, it will consider the so-called ‘father of existentialism,’ Søren Kierkegaard and his idea of a ‘leap of faith.’ Second, it will consider the more mystical Christianity of Simone Weil and especially her idea of ‘decreation.’ David Bowie was a deeply spiritual person who had a complex relationship with religion. Nevertheless, the lecture well suggest that we might view Bowie as having made Kierkegaard’s leap in 1976, even if it didn’t last, and that we might view Bowie’s approach to art generally through the lens of Weil’s idea of ‘decreation,’ an approach that requires us to get ourselves out of the way. Free to attend.