Incantation: The Embodied Aleph-Bet
Performance & Panel Discussion
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Free
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Join us for a spellbinding performance by vocal artist Victoria Hanna. In this one-of-a-kind mashup of art, artifacts, and learning, a set of rare objects will be on public display for the first time (and one time only), and Penn professor Dr. Simcha Gross will introduce the culture of demons and spells in the ancient Near East, where they were produced.
Vocal artist Victoria Hanna brings new life to ancient Hebrew text through sonic interpretations of Jewish mystical and magical traditions. She approaches the aleph-bet with a unique blend of music, surrealism, and spiky feminism; exploring language, the voice, and the body as tools for creating worlds.
Hanna’s work draws on a deep well of kabbalistic writings. She creates haunting vocal interpretations of ritual items such as Hebrew amulets and mysterious Aramaic incantation bowls, forging an encounter across time and opening up rich new ways of imagining and embodying Hebrew text.
NOTE: Arrive early for a special viewing of additional incantation bowls and explore the Middle East Galleries, 4:30-6:00 pm.
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Presented in partnership with Penn’s Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies, with support from the Goldhirsh-Yellin Foundation.