What do Eddie McGuire, Ignatius Jones the Creative Director of the Sydney Millennium Celebrations., and “Post God Nation?” author Roy Williams have in common?
They have all been touched by Eternity – or the life story of Arthur Stace who spent 37 years writing “Eternity” on the streets of Sydney and even Melbourne.
And they all appear in a new movie, Written in Chalk: Echoes of Arthur Stace.
Director Richard Attieh has devised a new way to tell the Arthur Stace story – starting with how Eternity is written into the culture. On the harbour bridge in the year 2000 – with art director of the event Ignatius Jones revealing a last minute panic, and Eddie McGuire who compered the TV coverage his conviction that Eternity was the right word for the new millennium.
“I started out wanting to tell the life story of Sydney eccentric, Arthur Stace – better known as Mr Eternity or The Eternity Man who wrote the eight-letter word, Eternity, in copperplate script on streets, sidewalks and pavements for 35 years and more than half a million times,” says Attieh.
“Throughout the research and writing phases of this documentary, I found myself speaking with television personalities, politicians and social activists, composers, singers, actors and songwriters, clergy, graffiti and street artists, amateur painters, academics, social researchers, teachers, poets and world-renowned creative directors and personalities.
“Their passion and enthusiasm for the word Eternity, the impact the word has had and continues to have on them, and their diverse interpretations and presentations of the word took a hold of me.”
Attieh’s clever structure means that the movie is ideal to introduce a gospel story to a wide audience. It’s perfect for churches to run a community screening – there’s a resource pack. Or schools to introduce a new generation to the Stace story – there’s a toolkit all ready for teachers.
The core of the Stace story, a drunkard converted with the lure of a rock cake and a cup of tea, rehabilitated, and then challenged to spread the word “Eternity” in the streets of Sydney is the heart of the movie.
Some of the audience at the launch screening commented that they would prefer to have the Christian story of Arthur Stace’s conversion and discipleship – the motivation for his 37 years of chalking “Eternity” at least half a million times, more front and centre. This consideration might affect how the movie is used in a church setting. Alternatively, others will use the gentle introduction to the Arthur Stace story in Written in Chalk: Echoes of Arthur Stace as a conversation starter.
Conversations are bound to start at the free open air screening of Written in Chalk: Echoes of Arthur Stace at open-air screening of the film at St Andrews Square Sydney on Friday 11 November and Saturday 12 November on the eve of the 90 year anniversary of Arthur Stace first writing Eternity on Monday 14 November, 1932.
The movie’s website, complete with resources is now live at https://writteninchalk.com