:Ansar Ahmed Ullah:
One Creation, a multimedia performance, created by two artists believe it may be an answer to extremist terrorism.
The work challenges conventional reaction to acts of terrorism and demonstrates that we who live in the age of terror are all part of one great connection and have nothing to fear from each other.
It offers a solution that requires no action at all, by simply making us aware of the sheer glory of diversity, and the infinite and eternal interconnectedness of all living things.
Music director Gavin Roberts, and visual artist Alice Sielle invited artists and musicians born into different faiths to choose religious or secular texts/poems/songs from their own heritage that illustrated the three subjects of ‘Love of the whole of creation’, ‘Shared humanity’ and ‘Erotic love’.
This first ever event included Ranjana Ghatak of Hindu faith, Tami Tal of Jewish faith, Merit Ariane Stephanos of Christian faith, Avaes Mohammad of Muslim faith and Sikh musicians Harpriet, Harkesh, Simmeron & Akpaljit Kaur and Tarsem Singh Panesar who performed with a video of the related paintings projected at the back of the stage on 26 July at the St. Marylebone Parish Church.
Alice Sielle, the artist who initiated the project said, ‘I thought I would spontaneously combust if I didn’t try to do something about extremism before I died. One Creation grew out of a series of paintings I’ve been working on for a couple of years about the interconnectedness of all living things: that we are all part of one creation and have nothing to fear from each other’. She added, ‘I think peace movements fail because they require action. I would, of course, like to expand One Creation to include atheism, humanism, and every faith,
