Event: Panel Discussion: “Cultures of Prayer: Faith to Faith in Conversation”.
Speakers: Revd Dr Harriet Harris, Rabbi David Rose and Sohaib Saeed.
Chair: Isabel Rocamora.
Venue: Red Lecture Theatre, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall, Edinburgh, EH9 1PL.
Date: Tuesday 7 June 2016.
Time: 7pm-9pm.
Event Description: To complement the solo exhibition Imagining Faith by artist filmmaker Isabel Rocamora at Summerhall Galleries (Wednesday 25 May - Wednesday 13 July 2016), a special speaker event is being co-curated by the Festival of Middle Eastern Spirituality and Peace (MESP) together with the Isabel Rocamora Studio.
Conceived as an iconographic triptych, Faith intimately observes the act of worship of the three Abrahamic religions of Jerusalem.
The film is set in the historically significant landscapes of the Judean desert, providing a Biblical reference from which all three traditions feed. In the wilderness of the Holy Land, far from the built and contested territories, a Jew, a Christian and a Muslim pray in synchronicity of time and place. The simultaneity of the three uninterrupted prayers foregrounds an uncanny similarity of inner state and gestural intention. Questioning segregation while celebrating difference, Faith invites reflection on one of the most tragic, world resonating conflicts that persist in this new century.
Exhibited in the Summerhall Sciennes Galleries, the film is contextualised by two further installations. The first presents a series of photographs that reveal the atmospheres, cultural manifestations and political struggles at the heart of the Holy City. The second is a reading room: an intimate space where the viewer is invited to meditate on the themes of the exhibition, inspired by a collection of texts which are curated by specialists in the fields of theology, philosophy, conflict studies, and aesthetics.
Speaker event co-curated by Neill Walker (MESP) and the Isabel Rocamora Studio.
Exhibition is curated by Holly Knox.
Faith is funded by Creative Scotland.
Summary of the event format:
15 minute introduction by Isabel Rocamora.
3 speakers speaking for 20 minutes each.
45 minutes of discussion and Q & A with the audience.
The three speakers (Jewish, Christian, Muslim) are invited to address their personal experience of prayer, through offering personal insights into the distinct rituals and significance of prayer – both individually and in a community setting – and with specific reference to each of their traditions.
BIOGRAPHY
Isabel Rocamora (1968) is a British-Spanish artist filmmaker whose work considers the performative nature of human gesture and its relationship to individual and cultural identity. Awarded internationally, Rocamora's moving image work can be seen in museums and filmothèques worldwide. Her films have been exhibited, amongst other venues, at Centre for Contemporary Art Palazzo Strozzi, Florence; the National Museum of Photography, Copenhagen; the Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art, Israel and the Museum of Modern Art, Bologna. She has been selected for international surveys of videoart at Artium Museum of Modern Art, Vitoria, The Pacific Centre, L.A., Arts Santa Monica, Barcelona and MAC Museum, Galicia. Current and recent exhibitions include UNTREF Museum, Buenos Aires, The Venice Bienale (Colaterali) and The Koffler Gallery (Toronto).
Isabel teaches film at Edinburgh and Edinburgh Napier Universities and has been widely invited to give artist talks in the context of her exhibitions, these include: the Whitechapel Gallery and the Architects' Association, London; the Royal Art Circle, Barcelona; Hamidrasha School of Art, Israel and A.M Qattan Foundation, Ramallah. She has given papers at Brown University (U.S) and the Universities of Bristol, Edinburgh and Oxford (U.K).
Rocamora's work is in several international collections. She lives and works in Edinburgh and is represented by Galeria SENDA.
www.isabelrocamora.org
www.galeriasenda.com
Cost: Admission Free. Everyone Welcome.
Contact: Neill Walker, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 0131 331 4469.
