Hawzah News Agency (Utah, US) - Many people associate libraries with silence. In the Harold B. Lee Library's newest exhibit, however, the focus is on sound.
"Sacred Sounds: A Compassionate Listening Guide to Musical Worship" is an interfaith exploration of how Judaism, Christianity and Islam use sound in worship. In the form of a guided audio tour, visitors listen to the Muslim "Call to Prayer,” Jewish liturgical verses and Christian choral antiphons while reading the words displayed. They also have the opportunity to view art installations created by Visual Arts student Brandon Boulton and a documentary created by film student Peter Totten. Ancient religious texts from Harold B. Lee Library’s Special Collections are also on display.
The exhibit, curated by Maddie Blonquist, hopes to inspire a greater appreciation for the differences and similarities of the three Abrahamic religions. While the religions have a long and complicated history, each believes in a monotheistic God and considers themselves as “Children of Abraham.” They also have all created similar traditions of sacred sounds, stemming from the reverence they carry for their divine written and spoken word.
Blonquist said, "If you trace most music back to its most primitive roots, it almost always is based in sacred subject matter. The voice of God, recorded as holy scripture, is probably the most sacred sound there is, and I think it’s the desire to preserve this in its authenticity that has motivated all three religions to cultivate such a rich aural tradition for hundreds of years."
BYU student John Carden said that walking through the exhibit "reaffirmed [his] knowledge that the three religions are closely related. The similarities are seen by how they convey their devotion to God."
Blonquist added that the exhibit experience can range from five minutes to an hour, depending on how engaged visitors would like to be. Near the end of the exhibit, visitors are encouraged to add music to a playlist, allowing them to wonder what sounds are sacred to them. They are also invited to corresponding lectures that will be hosted each month. The lectures will encourage interfaith dialogue and promote community initiatives.
She hopes that the exhibit will prompt people to "cultivate empathy among other faiths through the lens of music, a medium that in and of itself asks us to practice patience and careful listening."
The exhibit will run until Jan. 31, 2018. It is located in Brigham Young University’s Harold B. Lee Library on the first floor. It is open during all library hours and admission is free.
