Interview: Fer
Artists from Fer have just released their first song 'Searcher (Paradise Wall)'. Louder Than The Music chatted with Fer to find out who they are, and the thinking behind their first song and forthcoming album.
For those who haven't heard of you before, can you tell us a bit about Fer and what you do?
Fer is a collaborating artist. We introduce Christian philosophy, narrative and praxis to new audiences through a variety of contemporary forms including film, ritual design, architecture and music.
Tell us about your new single 'Searcher' and what the inspiration behind it was?
Searcher draws on the writings of the renaissance theologian and philosopher Nicolas of Cusa, specifically, his work challenging the myth of God as merely an abstract concept that we can - through our own capabilities - grasp and control. Cusa uncovers God as a wholly other person, the search for whom is dangerously beyond our control.
Both the lyrics - and the music video that accompanies it - follow this theme of the search for God as an unending journey involving our whole being but also taking us wildly beyond our own capabilities and understanding.
That song is taken from a forthcoming album, what can you tell us about the album?
The whole album is about the character of God. Each track uncovers an attribute of His that is either forgotten or often misunderstood. The tracks draw on the broad spectrum of Christian thinkers in history, including lesser known (often because they were women) but equally rich scholars. Of equal breadth is the range of musical influences we draw on to also reflect the many cultures that make up the Christian faith.
Who are some of the artists involved in the album?
One of the creative challenges we’ve set in this project is to collaborate with people who are not artists but academics, turning their work into a piece of art. We are working alongside them to recast historical and often forgotten scholarly theological texts into music and video forms that match and express them lyrically, sonically and visually.
For this track we have collaborated with Cusan theologians Dr Silvianne Aspray and Dr Susann Kabisch.
What message would you like people to take from Fer's music?
Great question as Fer actually means 'that which carries' in Latin and we care about the message we are conveying. In this particular project, we want people to discover (or rediscover) the Christian God not as a limp and sleepy idea but as the full-bodied person that has been described through the writings of scholars, mystics, poets and prophets throughout history, and, who, like the best of real people you meet in life, is somehow both thrilling and comforting to encounter at the same time.
How would you describe the style of music and what are your influences?
‘Searcher’ represents the first step at the beginning of a new musical approach for us as we are trying to allow the diversity of theologians, their cultural backgrounds and their writing to serve as the leading artistic influence on each song. This makes it hard at the outset to fit the album anywhere in particular in terms of genre. We’re excited to see where this approach leads to!
How would you define what success is for Fer?
We would borrow the words of TS Eliot 'Ours is the trying, the rest is not our business'.
What is your favourite album of all time?
That’s a bit hard to answer but right now we’re loving You & I by Ala.ni.
You're stuck on an island, it's hot, you only have enough battery life left to listen to one song on your phone. What track is it?
Ben Harper’s ‘Waiting on an Angel’ seems fitting for that kind of a moment.
What does the next year hold for Fer?
Aside from this album we have a few other projects on the go this year. We are developing a feature documentary that follows our quest to find mixed-ability friendship groups that have formed organically - outside of family ties or paid caring roles - between people who have severe learning disabilities and those who don't. The film's website can be found here www.beyondmotherlove.com. We are also working with an architectural firm to develop a theology of domestic architecture and we are running our alternative social media app designed to help people break out of their echo chambers among school students www.foeface.com. All our works are featured at www.ferproduction.com and you can follow us on Instagram at @ferproduction
