Studio Laura Brouwer

Year

2020

Collaborator

KABK Graphic Design Department

Studio

Studio Laura Brouwer

Services

Biblically Responsible Investing (BRI) is a Christian investment approach that aligns with the investor’s faith and biblical beliefs. Investors following this approach exclude companies involved in abortion, contraception, and LGBTQ+ from their portfolios. In doing so, God becomes indirectly the portfolio manager. This project grew out of a personal investigation into how religion operates within global finance, and what it looks like when those two worlds are made visible together.

strategy

The research began with open-source databases and screening tools used by Christian investors to identify so-called sin stocks. These databases are actively maintained by Christian portfolio managers, who track violations and update reports with detailed descriptions of corporate infringements. The goal was to surface this largely unseen body of data and reveal how conservative Christians quietly shape decisions within global financial markets.

design

By combing visual references from both worlds, the BRI data was translated into a video installation and mixed media sculpture. The sculpture takes inspiration from stained glass windows alongside the candlestick charts and graphs of financial markets. The video projection continues weaving church iconography alongside imagery from the financial world.

insight

What the research revealed is a highly organised, morally driven financial infrastructure that most people are entirely unaware of. The databases are precise and the judgements absolute. The project made clear that values and capital are not as separate as they might appear, and that faith functions as an investment strategy.

deliverables

The work was exhibited during the KABK Graduation Show in 2020. It functions as a piece of visual journalism, using design and installation to reveal a story that data and spreadsheets alone cannot tell.