Eco-Aesthetic Theologies: Interreligious Lessons from Zazu Dreams
Abstract:
Following Alhadeff’s presentation at HDS’s Ecological Spiritualities Conference 2022 and an extension of International Women’s Day 2018 exhibition/performance in Philadelphia’s National Liberty Museum, this exhibit of 30-40 reproductions from her 2024 updated interfaith, climate-justice art book Zazu Dreams: Between the Scarab and the Dung Beetle, a Cautionary Fable for the Anthropocene Era The exhibition-scholarly performance-workshop includes the trailer and preliminary episodes for the book-to-screen adaptation. While merging fictional and historical humanities with the sciences, a collaboration among four generations, this multimedia event explores how to manifest collective spiritual intelligence through interfaith perspectives on human rights and ecological justice.
Dr. Alhadeff’s critically-acclaimed multicultural Jewish earth-education exhibition and book-to-film adaptation explores the relationships among cross-cultural Jews of Color, Sephardic, Arab-Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist spiritualities with biodiversity. Lush illustrations by Sephardic artist, Micaela Amateau Amato ignite dialogue, inspiring collective action. Sinister corporate giants (Monsanto and Nestle) are swiftly engulfed by interreligious symbols echoing the Golden Rule. Spiritual unity connects with the earth body as we transition into Zazu’s dog Cocomiso who poops fertile “bricks.” We are reminded of the Jewish Blessing of Asher Yatzar and the critical function of our excrement as integral to the cycle-of-life. “Waste” (death) and fertility (birth) unite through the perseverance of the dung beetle (non-human ecosystems). The diligent dung beetle reminds us of Stephen Hawking’s wisdom, “Everything we need to know is already within us, just waiting to be realized.” Rachel Carson states, “To sin by silence when they should protest, makes cowards out of men.” As Hawking and Carson visually merge, Uum Kulthum’s song, La Ya Habibi, invites Zazu, Cocomiso, and Zafira to co-mingle among the singing sand dunes from which emerge the 10 sefirot. Maimonides merging into Wangari Maathai tops our Kabbalah Tree of Life, followed by Ruth Bader Ginsberg merging into Rabindranath Tagore, Ibn Sina merging into Sojourner Truth, Gandhi merging into Dona Grasi Nasi,
Emma Lazarus merging into Moses de Leon, Sol Hachuel merging into Jimmy Carter, Martin Luther King merging into Inayat Noor Khan, Jr. Frederick Douglass merging into Rashbi, Einstein merging into Spinoza, and Nelson Mandela merging into Greta Thunberg.
The workshop, exhibition/film, and scholarly performance happen within 60 minutes.
In the workshop, we will collectively explore what Zazu affirms, “I understood more and more that there was so much work to be done; that the only way to heal ethnic and racial divisions and the ecology of our global body is to see how we are all interconnected. We all have to take care of each other.” This will include the image of a question mark composed of multiracial ears reminding us of a core of Judaism: the individual-collective act of questioning. For example, there are 50,000 arguments in the Talmud and only 50 are resolved. Questions open the possibility for unexpected encounters. As Zazu recounts his dreams, we enter the final scene through Ari’s listening/questioning ear; we see Harriet Tubman who declares: “Every great dream begins with a dreamer.”
Ladino proverbs and my family’s archival photographs are montaged with mosaics from the Maghreb. The mosaic is a visual manifestation of multiple spiritual communities expressed through multiple perspectives.
The material explores the equilibrium between spiritual diversity and biodiversity, human and wildlife ecosystems in balance, and Jewish Southwest Asian and North African (JSWANA) ancient technologies and ancestral wisdoms that can transform our industrial-waste, self-destructive modern infrastructures.
Chairs that are not attached to the ground will be useful. For the film portion (approximately 10-15 minutes), I will need a darkened room and video projector with screen. The exhibition consists of 30-40 reproductions that range from 11”x17” to 3’x3’ and can be hung salon style. Strung across the exhibition space would be colorful prayer flags with images and inspirational quotes by international faith leaders who are quoted in Zazu Dreams.