Body and Land: an exhibition on Eco-Justice
Body and Land: an exhibition on Eco-Justice
Saturday, June 4th - June 12th, Christ Church Cathedral, 45 Church St, Hartford, CT
presenting Body and Land: a multisensory experience of images, music, dance and spectacular light.
A year of work! A radical collaboration between a church, a cathedral and a dance company. Culminates this June 4th-12th in an immersive live experience of light, dance and cinematography using the cathedrals architecture.
The schedule of the week is as follows:
The Grand Opening Saturday, June 4th 7pm and Sunday, June 5th 4pm
Will host Ekklesia Contemporary Ballet performance of Body and Land with Theologian Ellen F. Davis. Davis is Amos Ragan Kearns Distinguished Professor of Bible and Practical Theology at Duke Divinity School. Her work has focused on the ways in which biblical scholarship and interpretation may be applied to address urgent contemporary issues in the church and world, specifically using the Old Testament to inform preaching, interfaith dialogue, and the ecological crisis. Her book Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible, examines the theology and ethics of industrial and agricultural land use through a careful exegesis of the Old Testament’s view of land. A lay Episcopalian, she has long been active as a theological consultant within the Anglican Communion. Her current work explores the arts as modes of scriptural interpretation. Ekklesia Contemporary Ballet is grateful for her interest in and guidance of the development of their work.
Monday, June 6th at 7pm
Will feature a performance hosted by Hartford Stage - Directed by Zoe Gloub-Sass with Ekklesia Contemporary Ballet performance of Body and Land
Tuesday, June 7 at 7pm
Will host a performance by Cuatro Puntos Ensemble, Through The Eyes Of Children. A collaboration between Cuatro Puntos and the National Campaign To Stop Violence: Do The Write Thing, Through The Eyes of Children is a collage of spoken word and live music where middle school students from around the country speak out about how violence impacts their lives. Featuring artist Sam Fuller, a Capuchin Franciscan, who will speak about four of his sculptures on Eco-Justice which will be on display throughout the week.
Wednesday, June 8 at 7pm
Featuring Ya Fev a.k.a. Trashman of Philadelphia Canon Ranjit Mathews & ECCT Racial, Justice, Healing, and Reconciliation Network Dialogue on Intersection of Social/Racial Justice and Creation Care. With Ekklesia Contemporary Ballet performance of Body and Land
Thursday, June 9th at 7pm
Featuring Cathedral Music by Marianne Vogel and Poetry by Cathedral Poet in Residence, Dr. Lindsay Rockwell and guest poet Fungai Tichawangana, with Ekklesia Contemporary Ballet performance of Body and Land
Friday, June 10th at 7pm
Will host Ekklesia Contemporary Ballet performance of Body and Land with Artist, Friar Sam Fuller OFM Cap
Saturday, June 11th
Will host Ekklesia Contemporary Ballet Body and Land with a mixed bill of repertoire (only ticketed event - ekklesiaballet.org/tickets)
Sunday, June 12th 10:00 am- Final Event
Holy Eucharist ( Partially Bilingual)- featuring dancers of Ekklesia Contemporary Ballet, The Church of The Holy Trinity Praise Band, Embers In Transit and Cathedral Choirs. This is a joint service with Holy Trinity, Middletown and Christ Church Cathedral. Our guest preacher is the Rev. Stephanie Johnson, author of “ How can I care for creation?. The Rev. Mary Barnett and the Very Rev. Miguelina Howell will serve as celebrants.
The newly renovated cathedral was re-designed by Duo Dickinson as an open space where art, music, worship, and all kinds of community events can take place.
In their work “Body and Land”, the dancers of Ekklesia Contemporary Ballet move through
the four seasons using the music of Vivaldi and composer Scott Simonelli and the words of local poet Kwamena Blankson. Stephen Proctor, a visual artist specializing in curating immersive experiences with projection & dynamic imagery, will illuminate the cathedral architecture with images of nature and cinematographic landscapes from all over the world.
Body and Land is a multi-disciplinary performance that explores eco-justice from various perspectives. Designed to facilitate a paradigm shift for participating audiences, the work celebrates the familial relationship between our vulnerable bodies and the vulnerable body of the land we share. Sponsored by a Creation Care grant from The Episcopal Church in collaboration with, Church of The Holy Trinity, Ekklesia Contemporary Ballet, and Christ Church Cathedral. Body and Land will take place June 4th through June 12th.
To reserve your Free Ticket to any of the events visit
For more information: www.cccathedral.org
