Imagine project
In 2009 a pilot recital of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ was performed in the UK at Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral on the world’s highest and heaviest peal of bells. The controversial event, commissioned for the Futuresonic festival was devised by UK artist Cleo Evans and produced with Dennis Hopkins, in collaboration with members of the Liverpool Guild of Change Ringers led by Sam Austin.
Together they overcame the challenge of using a musical technology thousands of years old to peal one of Lennon’s most popular and secular songs.
In 2011 Imagine will once again be pealed by cathedral bells. This time a single recital performed live at dusk will commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11
The recital will be led by Sam Austin who will train up a new cast of bell ringers. As in Liverpool the song’s interpretation will be slowed considerably to create a somber and reflective sound, allowing time for people to consider the lyrics. The peal of Imagine will drift through streets and live broadcasts will allow the recital to be heard worldwide.
“Imagine is an incredibly gentle, philosophical and moving song which questions the role of religion, infers there should be greater religious tolerance and speaks strongly of the need for peace.’’
- Cleo Evans
Imagine reinvents this British folk art form to serve as a memoriam and encourage reflection upon issues of peace and religious tolerance in a way that is respectful and sensitive to the gravitas of the occasion. Religious intolerance has been exacerbated globally recently and it is significant that the recital has been given the go ahead by the church against this backdrop of heated debate and further serves to underline the motivations behind the project.
The performance in Liverpool marked the first time a popular and secular song had been played on the bells of a place of worship. The proposal was initially met with hesitation from the Church of England however the positive impact of the event vindicated the cathedral’s forward thinking support. The Dean of Liverpool Cathedral, the Very Reverend Justin Welby himself said,
“We didn’t agree with the lyrics, but the more we looked at it, the more we thought the song has an awful lot that connects with issues that people genuinely feel…we recognize its power to make us think. As a Cathedral we do not shrink from debate…we recognize the existence of other world views.”
The event attracted considerable national media attention and was covered in broadsheets, music magazines, Christian press and included an interview with Justin Welby on BBC Radio 4’s Today program. During the week of the performance Imagine was rated the most popular news item on the BBC website and was discussed extensively on YouTube, internet chat rooms and blogs.
We believe in the benefits of cross partnership working are very interested in the project being mediated by interfaith organizations, such as the UN Alliance of Civilizations, and interfaith organizations such as the Interfaith Centre, Mashal