about sanctuary
Sanctuary – as refuge, as asylum, as shelter from violence or the
penalties of law – has deep roots in many cultures. In classical Greece,
all temples offered sanctuary, and the Temple of Apollo at Delphi – with
its oracle – was known throughout the Mediterranean world. Sanctuary
continued as a right through the Western tradition in the Roman
Empire and into the Christian era. It is occasionally invoked today
around the globe, with recent examples in areas of sectarian strife and
immigration law challenges.
However, there is another powerful dimension of sanctuary beyond
protection: sanctuary as a place of tolerance and privilege. In this
sense, sanctuary is a place safe for expression, for experimentation, for
revelation. Privilege also involves license: license to define boundaries,
to test them. This is the powerful dimension explored in The
Sanctuary Project.
In today’s fractured world, sanctuary is elusive. My project intends to
create a place of refuge for the quartet, technicians and audience, and
to invite them to act on the privilege and the license so created - to
reveal themselves and, in turn, be revealed, perhaps transformed.
– Roger Reynolds with David Curry
October 2007
Sanctuary – as refuge, as asylum, as shelter from violence or the
penalties of law – has deep roots in many cultures. In classical Greece,
all temples offered sanctuary, and the Temple of Apollo at Delphi – with
its oracle – was known throughout the Mediterranean world. Sanctuary
continued as a right through the Western tradition in the Roman
Empire and into the Christian era. It is occasionally invoked today
around the globe, with recent examples in areas of sectarian strife and
immigration law challenges.
However, there is another powerful dimension of sanctuary beyond
protection: sanctuary as a place of tolerance and privilege. In this
sense, sanctuary is a place safe for expression, for experimentation, for
revelation. Privilege also involves license: license to define boundaries,
to test them. This is the powerful dimension explored in The
Sanctuary Project.
In today’s fractured world, sanctuary is elusive. My project intends to
create a place of refuge for the quartet, technicians and audience, and
to invite them to act on the privilege and the license so created - to
reveal themselves and, in turn, be revealed, perhaps transformed.
– Roger Reynolds with David Curry
October 2007
| Logo design by David Curry. Montaged image from a performance of Sanctuary II, June in Buffalo festival, June 2007. Ross Karre, video rendering Karen Reynolds, image transformation This site developed as a courtesy to the composer, and to recognize all who contribute to The Sanctuary Project, by David Curry/davidrcurryAssociates copyright 2007. The Sanctuary Project. |
The Sanctuary Project
by Roger Reynolds
| Sanctuary received its world premiere at the National Gallery of Art/East Building Atrium, Washington DC, 18 November 2007 performance images/background information. |