Imagination and repair are two words that, as Rev. Billy pointed out during our IMAGINE REPAIR event in April 2022, do not normally go together in our throw-away culture. The performances and presentations in the Nave of the Cathedral of St John the Divine, however, invited us to imagine how to rebuild some of the connections our communities had lost during Covid. We invited the general public to listen to presentations and participate in performances by people we admire and love from a wider community of thinkers and artists. The many forms of expression–the songs, chants, rants, secular sermons, and clanging of pots–created a space in which our outrage and anger could give way to hope and joy in our togetherness. We placed a sign marked “Presente!” on multiple chairs to hold a space for those who are no longer here. Words and images from that performance event continue to resonate: “I am here. We are here” (Imani Uzuri). “In these inhuman times, be human.” “Live life!” “Live life with a radical, brave, and courageous imagination.” “ Remember that the inequalities we face are man-made.” “We can’t see the future we want if we can’t see the present in which we live” (Fred Moten). Living, like, ‘sorrowing,’ like imagining, are active verbs. “Rise! Stand up,” Alicia Grullón prompted us. “Demand justice. Imagine repair.”Click here for program and bios (.pdf)
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