BICENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

BICENTENARY 2010

The Swedenborg Society celebrated its 200th anniversary throughout 2010. We had a diverse program of events, publications and activities—including talks, film screenings, exhibitions, as well as other social events—in honour of Emanuel Swedenborg and the Society’s seminal role in perpetuating his legacy.

In January 2010 we hosted an evening with A S Byatt, where the acclaimed author gave readings from her work and welcomed questions from the floor. In February we had the pleasure of officially launching the bicentenary year with a toast—and a talk by Richard Lines on highlights from his forthcoming History of the Swedenborg Society. For one week only, Swedenborg House also became a temporary gallery space, as contemporary artists were invited to exhibit their work in response to Swedenborg and the Society. During the months of spring, we screened our brand new documentary on Swedenborg and launched a fresh translation of Heaven and Hell and a library (collected) edition of the Swedenborg Society Journal. The poet Simon Armitage and neuroloist/writer David Eagleman also spoke in honour of Swedenborg’s cultural influence.

We celebrated our 2010 bicentenary year with a rich and diverse PROGRAMME OF EVENTS:

Jan. 14th An Evening With: A S Byatt 6:30 pm (£5.00/£3.00)

Jan. 30th Birthday Meeting: Lecture & Music: David Lister on The Feeling of What Happens 4:30 pm (free)

Feb. 25th Exhibition Private View: Swedenborg House: Fourteen Interventions 6:30 pm (free)

Feb. 26th Bicentenary Celebration Launch 6:30 pm (free)

Mar. 1st An Evening with: Iain Sinclair and Brian Catling 6:30 pm (£5.00/£3.00)

Mar. 3rd An Evening with: Ben Judd 6:30 pm (free)

Mar. 4th Lecture: Jonathan Jones on The Visions of Leonardo Da Vinci 6:30 pm (£5.00/£3.00)

Mar. 17th Lecture: Robert Rowland Smith on The Philosophy of Everyday Life 6:30 pm (£5.00/£3.00)

Mar. 29th Lecture: David Eagleman on Why I am a Possibilian 6:30 pm (£5.00/£3.00)

April 8th Premiere Screening of Heaven, Hell and Other Places: a film about Emanuel Swedenborg 6:30 pm (free)

April 22nd An Evening With: Simon Armitage 6:30 pm (£5.00/£3.00)

May 6th Lecture: Guy Dammann on Music, Morality and Mysticism 6:30 pm (£5.00/£3.00)

May 19th Lecture: Scarlett Thomas on Imagining Heaven and Hell 6:30 pm (£5.00/£3.00)

June 3rd – 4th International Swedenborg Publishers Conference (free)

June 17th Lecture: David Bindman on John Flaxman (Hosted at University College London) 6:30 pm (£5.00/£3.00)

June 19th New Church Day 11:00 – 4:00 (free)

July 1st Lecture: Roy Foster on Swedenborg and the Irish Literary Imagination 6:30 pm (£5.00/£3.00)

Sept. 3rd Season of Films: Jacob’s Ladder with Nicholas Royle 6:00 pm (free)

Sept. 10th Film: Afterlife 7:00 pm (free)

Sept. 17th Film:  Stay 7:00 pm (free)

Sept. 18th Open House London 12:00- 4:00 pm (free)

Sept. 24th Film: Wrist Cutters 7:00 pm (free)

Oct. 1st Film: Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey 7:00 pm (free)

Oct. 8th Film: Matter of Life and Death 7:00 pm (free)

Oct. 15th Film: Battleship Potemkin with Robert Robertson 6:00 pm (free)

Oct. 23rd Artist Residency Performance: Nissa Nishikawa: Right of Augury 7:00 pm (free) (in collaboration with The Bloomsbury Festival 2010)

Oct. 23rd Exhibition Opening: Paul Tecklenberg: 21 Grams 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm (free)

Oct. 25th – Nov. 6th Exhibition: Paul Tecklenberg: 21 Grams 10:00 am – 4:00 pm daily (free)

Oct. 29th-30th Swedenborg Short Film Festival: heaven and/or hell 6:30 pm (free)

Nov. 13th Swedenborg Society Conference: Swedenborg: Visionary Scientist, Scientific Visionary (Admission £30) 10 am – 5 pm

Unless otherwise stated, all events take place at:

The Swedenborg Society, 20 Bloomsbury Way, London, WC1A 2TH

Moving into the summer, we hosted the world’s first International Swedenborg Publishers Conference at the beginning of June—where we also launched a complete Bibliography of Swedenborg’s works. Later that month David Bindman spoke on the sculptor John Flaxman; and in July, Prof. Roy Foster gave a lecture exploring the influence of Swedenborg on the Irish literary imagination.

Furthermore we hosted a season of films exploring Swedenbogian themes, throughout the autumn months—culminating in a short film festival at the end of October. In November, a conference to discuss ‘Emanuel Swedenborg: Visionary Scientist, Scientific Visionary’ took place.