Psychological type profile of Lead Elders within the Newfrontiers network of churches in the United Kingdom

This study set out to examine the psychological type profile of Lead Elders within the Newfrontiers network of churches in the United Kingdom and to compare this profile with the established profile of clergymen in the Church of England. A sample of 134 Lead Elders completed the Francis Psychological Type Scales. The study shows that Newfrontiers Lead Elders display slight preferences for extraversion over introversion, for sensing over intuition, and for thinking over feeling, and a strong preference for judging over perceiving. These findings contrast with the profile of Church of England clergymen who prefer introversion over extraversion, intuition over sensing, and feeling over thinking, but who also display a less pronounced preference for judging over perceiving. Within the Newfrontiers leadership the most frequently reported types were ISTJ (16%) and ESTJ (13%), while among Church of England clergymen the most frequently reported types were INTJ (11%) and ISTJ (10%). The implications of these findings are discussed for the distinctive strengths, challenges and opportunities facing the leadership within the Newfrontiers network of churches

Identification and analysis of serpin-family genes by homology and synteny across the 12 sequenced Drosophilid genomes.

BACKGROUND: The Drosophila melanogaster genome contains 29 serpin genes, 12 as single transcripts and 17 within 6 gene clusters. Many of these serpins have a conserved "hinge" motif characteristic of active proteinase inhibitors. However, a substantial proportion (42%) lacks this motif and represents non-inhibitory serpin-fold proteins of unknown function. Currently, it is not known whether orthologous, inhibitory serpin genes retain the same target proteinase specificity within the Drosophilid lineage, nor whether they give rise to non-inhibitory serpin-fold proteins or other, more diverged, proteins. RESULTS: We collated 188 orthologues to the D. melanogaster serpins from the other 11 Drosophilid genomes and used synteny to find further family members, raising the total to 226, or 71% of the number of orthologues expected assuming complete conservation across all 12 Drosophilid species. In general the sequence constraints on the serpin-fold itself are loose. The critical Reactive Centre Loop (RCL) sequence, including the target proteinase cleavage site, is strongly conserved in inhibitory serpins, although there are 3 exceptional sets of orthologues in which the evolutionary constraints are looser. Conversely, the RCL of non-inhibitory serpin orthologues is less conserved, with 3 exceptions that presumably bind to conserved partner molecules. We derive a consensus hinge motif, for Drosophilid inhibitory serpins, which differs somewhat from that of the vertebrate consensus. Three gene clusters appear to have originated in the melanogaster subgroup, Spn28D, Spn77B and Spn88E, each containing one inhibitory serpin orthologue that is present in all Drosophilids. In addition, the Spn100A transcript appears to represent a novel serpin-derived fold. CONCLUSION: In general, inhibitory serpins rarely change their range of proteinase targets, except by a duplication/divergence mechanism. Non-inhibitory serpins appear to derive from inhibitory serpins, but not the reverse. The conservation of different family members varied widely across the 12 sequenced Drosophilid genomes. An approach considering synteny as well as homology was important to find the largest set of orthologues.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

Even in Exile

Site-specific graphic work. Commissioned by James Dean Bradfield and Orchard Records. This was an invitation from the musician James Dean Bradfield (Manic Street Preachers) to develop artwork that could be used for the cover of a solo album he had written inspired by Victor Jara; a Chilean musician and political activist who was murdered in the first days following the Pinochet coup d’état. Beyond that, the invitation was extended to include the design and layout for all elements of each format of the release – vinyl LP, CD and tape; the covers, the lyric sheets, and booklets, the case inserts, the CD/tape/vinyl stickers etc. This allowed me to approach these spaces as a site through which I could consider the entire visual experience of the audience

Work-related psychological health and psychological type among lead elders within the Newfrontiers network of churches in the United Kingdom

Building on a series of recent studies concerned with assessing work-related psychological health and psychological type among various groups of church leaders, this study reports new data provided by 134 Lead Elders within the Newfrontiers network of churches in the United Kingdom who completed the Francis Psychological Type Scales (FPTS) together with the two scales of the Francis Burnout Inventory (FBI) concerned with emotional exhaustion and satisfaction in ministry. Compared with other groups of church leaders, Lead Elders within the Newfrontiers network of churches reported lower levels of emotional exhaustion and higher levels of satisfaction in ministry. Compared with other groups of church leaders, there was a higher proportion of extraverts among Lead Elders within the Newfrontiers network of churches. There was only a weak association between psychological type and burnout

God So Loves Decay

Abstract for an Alternative Presentation My proposal is to restage my performance work, ‘God So Loves Decay’, commissioned by Sunridge Avenue Projects, first performed in Luton, UK, on May 7th, 2016. This took the collected lyrics of seminal UK punk band, UK Decay, and, working with musician Russ Crimewave, saw them ‘performed’ in Luton town centre in a form akin to a religious street preacher. A limited edition publication of the lyrics was produced and given to passing members of the public. This happened with the full knowledge and support of UK Decay. Authenticity of experience was key – there was no public indication this was an artwork, thereby allowing the words of UK Decay to be interpreted by this unassuming audience in a contemporary social, economic and political context. The act of re-presenting these words in this shifted way is an acknowledgement of their ongoing relevance, pulling them back out of the cultural archive and reinvigorating them in a time starkly reminiscent of that of their inception, but in a context that encourages an expanded dialogue. The logistics of presenting this at the conference would simply be mine and Russ’s presence there. I would be happy to decide on the exact parameters in negotiation with the organisers – it could happen in a traditional presentation slot, it could happen at a given time and space outside of this arena, or as a combination of the performance and a more traditional paper, to contextualize the content and intentions of the work

Bread and Circuses

This paper was written as an academic provocation for the 'Reflections on The Ring' symposium, and in response to 'The Ring' project - "a new arts programme celebrating a 21-mile circle of natural and historic waterways. Linking the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, the Droitwich Canals and the River Severn, the route flows through the urban and rural landscapes of Worcester and Droitwich. Navigable by boat or on foot, the Mid-Worcestershire Ring is a unique tourist destination. Our programme will uncover unusual and memorable stories of people, places and the natural environment. Local artists will produce ambitious and dynamic artworks and live events for all to enjoy.a series of temporary public artworks commissioned around the canals." It considers the nature of art in the public realm, in particular relation to the audience, and making reference to Alfred Gell's 1998 "Art and Agency: An Anthropological Theory"

Wassail

A series of eight permanent public sculptures. Commissioned by Berkeley Homes to be sited around their ‘Vista’ development on the Nine Elms, Battersea, the specific focus of the commission was to create way markers for the site. The logic to my approach was that anything can act as a way marker – a tree-stump, a bent lamppost – essentially anything that’s specific and unique to a site. Seven works were developed for the site, to be set in to the hardscaping at specific points, each of which was thematically developed from research in to the history of the borough. An eighth work was also commissioned to be sited on a railway arch at the rear of the site. This was developed, thematically, from the same research that was undertaken in to the history of the borough. The specific things being referenced through the works are: • Battersea formerly being a lavender-farming area, pre-industrial revolution. • Pink Floyd’s classic ‘Animals’ album cover, featuring a pig flying between the chimneys of Battersea Power Station (which is directly to the rear of the site). • The work of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. • The formation of the Workers Educational Association in a terraced house in the borough in 1903. • The aviation history of the Short Brothers, formerly based on the gasworks the rear of the Vista site. • The filming of The Clash’s ‘London Calling’ video on a pier of Battersea Park. • The presence of the ‘Pleasure Gardens’ in Battersea Park during the 1951 ‘Festival of Britain’. • The discovery of the Seax of Beagnoth in the River Thames at Battersea – a 9th Century Anglo-Saxon knife containing the only known complete inscription of the twenty-eight letter Anglo-Saxon runic alphabet

If You Build it, They Will Come

A paper discussing my own experiences of living, and developing a career as an artist, regionally. The paper takes the misquotation "If you build it, they will come", from the Kevin Costner film 'Field of Dreams' as it's starting point - proposing the idea that by staying where you are you can, potentially, do more good than moving to where the action is

Pwnc: O Dywysog i Reslwr Croeswisgo - End event zine

A photocopied zine produced to accompany my end of residency/research sharing/listening party event at the end of my artists residency with The 309 Punk Project, Pensacola, Florida, USA. This was given away free to all visitors/participants in the event