sounding the depths
- an international festival of contemporary arts and theology
10-16 September 2000
Cambridge, UK
what was 'sounding the depths'?
The festival 'Sounding the Depths' was the culmination of the first phase of Theology Through the Arts. It aimed to draw together the strands of the project that have been most fruitful over the last three years, and present them publicly in the form of a week of multi-media events, including:
- Performances of music, theatre, opera and film
- Presentations associated with most of the main events, with opportunities for audience interaction and discussion
- Public seminars offering a chance to meet other interested people, exchange information, ideas and contacts
- Exhibitions of visual art, resources and publications
Many of the events were free and all were open to the public.
who came?
Because of the sheer variety of events, the Festival attracted visitors from both the artistic and the theological ends of the spectrum, as well as those who have a particular interest in the arts-theology interface. There were a large number of visitors from as far afield as the USA and Canada, Japan, the Philippines, Australia and South Africa.
the week in outline
- Sunday 10th: opening
- Monday 11th: visual arts exhibition and seminar, Beholding the Glory
- Tuesday 12th: Parthenogenesis
- Wednesday 13th: music seminar, Till Kingdom Come
- Thursday 14th: Reel Spirituality, cello recital
- Friday 15th: popular culture seminar, Miracle Maker, 'Out of the Depths' service
- Saturday 16th: sculpture presentation, Easter Oratorio
Monday to Friday 11th - 15th September
'Sounding Sight' Visual Art Exhibition open each day during the festival in Emmanuel URC on Trumpington Street, Cambridge, with work from artists including Mark Cazalet, Anneke Kaai, Charlie Mackesy, Richard Webb, Oliver Soskice, Victoria Rance and Francis Hoyland.
Sunday 10th September
Opening event: An exhibition of resources and publications, as well as detailed information about Theology Through the Arts and the Festival.
A multimedia presentation to launch the Festival, with speeches from Jeremy Begbie, Prof. David Ford (Cambridge University Faculty of Divinity) and special guest speaker Judith Collins (Senior Curator, Tate).
Monday 11th September
Sounding Sight Seminar: Bill Dyrness hosted a public seminar in which Mark Cazalet, Victoria Rance, Anneke Kaai and other artists involved in the exhibition talked about some of their own work, and introduced the 'Sounding Sight' exhibition held throughout the Festival week.
My Name is Joe: The first of the film showings leading up to the main Reel Spirituality event (Thursday), with introductory talk and discussion afterwards.
Beholding the Glory - Incarnation Through the Arts: a unique launch event for the new essay collection edited by Jeremy Begbie from DLT/Baker Books, which explores the miracle of Christmas through seven different art-forms. The evening consisted of presentations and performances by the authors.
Tuesday 12th September
Liar Liar: The second of the film showings leading up to the main Reel Spirituality event on Thursday, with introductory talk and discussion afterwards.
Parthenogenesis: the world premiere of the new chamber opera created by a 'pod' group collaboration between composer James MacMillan (right), poet Michael Symmons Roberts and Archbishop Rowan Williams. Performers included the Britten Sinfonia, and the soprano Lisa Milne. The performance was presented in a double bill with 'Raising Sparks', another MacMillan-Symmons Roberts collaboration, sung by Jean Rigby. It wad followed by a presentation by the 'pod' group and a discussion, and broadcast by BBC Radio 3.
Wednesday 13th September
Composition, Theology and Contemporary Culture: Following on from the premiere of Parthenogenesis (see above) James MacMillan took part in a public seminar chaired by US conductor Robert Duerr.
Pleasantville: The third and final showing in preparation for the main Reel Spirituality event on Thursday, with introductory talk and discussion afterwards.
Till Kingdom Come - the Story of God's Mutineer: Renowned theatre company Riding Lights gave the premiere production of a new play by Nigel Forde, resulting from their 'pod' group work with a group of Cambridge theologians. The play centred around Robert Lockyer, a trooper in Cromwell's army, and the enormous struggles of discerning God's purposes amidst the savagery of the Civil War.
Thursday 14th September
Reel Spirituality - Cinematic Wisdom and the Book of Ecclesiastes: How can we deepen our understanding of ancient texts such as the book of Ecclesiastes? What 'wisdom' does cinema bring to the Bible? How can we do theology through film?
Renowned filmmakers, biblical and film scholars joined in a provocative day of discussion. Co-sponsored by Fuller Theological Seminary, chaired by Robert Johnston, Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller. Participants included: Patricia and Bart Gavigan, Norman Stone, Barry Taylor, Jolyon Mitchell, Craig Detweiler, Stu Hazeldine, Gaye Ortiz, Maggie Roux, Richard Peace, Jo Bailey Wells and Tom Wright.
Reel Spirituality - The Third Miracle (UK premiere): A showing of an acclaimed 'spiritual detective story' from director Agnieszka Holland starring Ed Harris, Anne Heche and Armin Mueller-Stahl. 
With an introduction and discussion led by Barry Taylor, the film's music supervisor.
Cello Recital: given by John Friesen, who performed works by Bach, Messiaen and Pärt.
Friday 15th September
The Making of Meaning - Theology Through Popular Culture: Graham Cray led a discussion on the interaction of theology and popular culture, with contributions from Barry Taylor (ACDC) and other guests.
Cello Recital: given by John Friesen, who performed works by Bach, Pärt and Tavener.
The Miracle Maker: A special showing of the stunning animated film of 'the greatest story every told', featuring the voices of Ralph Fiennes, Richard E Grant, Miranda Richardson among others. Hosted by Bible Society, with an introduction by the film's scriptwriter, Murray Watts.
'Out of the Depths': a vibrant service of worship in Great St Mary's Church demonstrated the power of different art forms to open up Jesus' encounter with the woman at the well, as told in the Gospel of John. The Psalm Drummers joined a choir, dancers, brass ensemble, gospel singer and guest speaker John Sentamu, Bishop of Stepney (right). It was recorded and broadcast by BBC Radio 4 to an audience of 1.7 million people.
Saturday 16th September
Sculpture: in the afternoon, there was a presentation about the new piece of sculpture created by Jonathan Clarke - through collaboration with a 'pod' group - for the West End of Ely Cathedral. A lively audience questioned members of the group about the new work, entitled 'The Way of Life'. This is a photo of the sculpture, which was dedicated by the Bishop of Ely in the presence of some 200 people, on March 17th, 2001.
Easter Oratorio: We stayed in Ely Cathedral for a large-scale performance of Paul Spicer's new 'Easter Oratorio', based on John chapters 20 and 21, to a libretto by Tom Wright. It arose in part through a 'pod' group collaboration with Jeremy Begbie. Performers included choirs from Lichfield and Twickenham, the Britten Sinfonia, tenors Andrew Kennedy and Richard Edgar Wilson, bass Jonathan Gunthorpe and soprano Alison Wells.
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