2007 Press Releases
Art, Religion and Science - One World: Three Perspectives - UCC Conference
A Conference on Art, Religion and Science titled One World: Three Perspectives
takes place in UCC on May 25th/26th. The Conference is jointly
organised by Dr Fiachra Long of the Education Department and Professor
William Reville, Public Awareness of Science Officer at UCC and will
incorporate the Annual General Meeting of the Irish Theological
Association.
The Conference will focus on religious representation by examining some
perceived overlaps between Art, Science and Religion. Could these
fields of study share a common interest or perspective that is
sufficiently learned to warrant attention by the Academy? Could Art or
Music add meaning to religious themes that would otherwise be lost?
Could religion offer a perspective to the physics of reality that
Physics needs? Could science add a perspective to Art that enriches
rather than contradicts it?
The Conference on Art, Religion and Science opens with a free public
lecture on Friday, May 25th at 8 pm with keynote speaker Rev
Professor Sir John Polkinghorne (Nuclear Physicist and Theologian) who
will deliver a talk titled "Science and Religion in a Common
Perspective". Professor Polkinghorne is Emeritus Professor of
Mathematical Physics at Cambridge and winner of the Templeton Prize in
2002. He has written on the compatibility of religion and science in
his Gifford lectures, published under the title Science and
Providence, and is author of many books. Professor William Reville will
chair.
Registration for the Saturday sessions opens at 9 am. Professor Enda
McDonagh will chair a session by the poet John F.Deane who will present
an address on "The Jesus Body: The Jesus Bones". John Deane is one of
Ireland's most celebrated poets and short story writers, founder in
1979 of Poetry Ireland and editor of The Poetry Ireland Review.
He won the O'Shaughnessy Award for Irish poetry in 1998 and Romania's
Grand international Prize for Poetry in 2000. His poetry includes
"Christ, with Urban Fox" and his novel In the Name of the Wolf was
translated into German in 2001. Tomás O Canainn, formerly Dean of
Engineering and Head of Music at UCC, currently a Saoi with Aosdána,
will conclude this session with music on the Uilleann pipes.
After coffee, Professor Nigel Biggar of Trinity will chair a
multimedia session offered by Professor John Harvey of
Aberystwyth who will speak on "The End of Vision: The Purpose and Limit
of Religious Representation." John is a practising artist and is
particularly interested in the pictorial representation of the Bible.
A visit to St Fin Barre's Cathedral immediately after lunch will allow
Richard Wood to present a lecture on the art work of the Cathedral
while Colin Nicholls, Organist and Choir Master, will give a short
recital. After this visit, Professor James P. Mackey will present a
talk at 2.45pm titled "Obstacles in the Christian Story to
Conversations with Scientists". To end the day a panel of
Theologians led by Professor Nigel Biggar of Trinity College Dublin,
Professor Michael Conway of Maynooth, Dr Gesa Thiessen of
Milltown Institute will take up some of the themes of the main speakers
before inviting questions from the floor. Professor Enda McDonagh will
offer a summary.
The location of the Conference is Boole 1 Lecture Theatre. Members of
the public are welcome to attend the conference. The Friday lecture is
free of charge and open to the public. The Saturday Conference carries
a charge of €40. Enquiries: Marie Nash, T 021-4903928 or email
m.nash@ucc.ie
The Conference committee of Fiachra Long and William Reville would
especially like to thank members of the organising committee,
especially Siobhan Dowling (Artistic Director), Hannah Joyce and Claire
Dooley, Carol Kennedy (Brochure and Room Bookings), Marie Nash (Finance
and Attendance).
454MMcS
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