Pet Resources Takes up St. Philip's Call to Action Against Social Injustice

In March, Pet Resources hosted a congregation's call to action, written and sent around the circle by the congregation and vestry of St. Philip's Church. Staff members at Pet Resources took action to inform their local community about their rights if stopped or arrested by the police or immigration officials. Each Sunday during the month, pet specialist Aubrey Mike, held a community open mic about these issues with pet store's staff, customers, and community members invited to speak out.

Documentation: Giacomo Francia

Felix Gonzalez-Torres sculpture "Untitled" (Public Opinion) on view at St. Philip's Church.

In March, a museum artwork, “Untitled” (Public Opinion), 1991 by Felix Gonzales Torres, is be on view at St. Phillip's Church. The artwork, which is part of the permanent collection of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, consists of a large quantity of individually wrapped licorice candies, which are poured directly on the floor, usually in a pile or flat rectangle, and available for viewers to take and eat. As this artwork travels around the circle, it is being installed by a team of museum professionals in response to the architecture of each site. This is the first time it has been exhibited outside of the context of a museum or gallery. Visit the church to meet members of the congregation and vestry and to view the artwork.

View the daily calendar to see dates and times you can visit the artwork. 

Documentation: Giacomo Francia

Joan Borrell Sings the Oldest Song in the World at St. Philip's Church

On Autumn of 2015, while I was studying Architecture in Barcelona, Dr. Pedro Azara, a professor of mine with whom I had been lucky to work on several projects, was curating an exhibition with Dr. Jennifer Y. Chi at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, in New York. It was called From Ancient to Modern: Archaeology and Aesthetics. Jennifer and Pedro came up with the idea of reinterpreting “the oldest song in the world” to then put it on display in the exhibition. Pedro knew that I was a singer so they offered me the opportunity to sing it. It was called “A Hurrian cult song from ancient Ugarit” dating from 1400 BC. I have always been very interested in history and being able to mix it with my passion, music, was rather unusual. I immediately said “yes”. How could anyone refuse it?

I read all that I could find about the song and about music in ancient Mesopotamia, I talked to my singing teacher about it and tried different approaches to it. I finally decided to do an objective, and neutral interpretation of it and I recorded it in my studio.

Later, I was invited to NY by the ISAW, to perform the song live the day of the exhibition inauguration. By that time, I had read more about the song, I had sung it many more times and put more thought in it. That day I sang a different interpretation, a more personal one.

After a year, Jennifer Y. Chi contacted me: a couple of artists, Lenka Clayton and Jon Rubin, were interested in the song and they wanted it to be part of a project called . . . circle through New York.

--Joan Borell

Joan Borrell was born in Barcelona, Spain. Music has always been a very important part of his life.
He was classically trained in violin (from ages 3 to 12) and viola (from ages 13 to 16) as well as in music theory and composition. He as studied classical and modern singing since I was 17 years old. He regularly plays in a pop band and owns a recording studio in Barcelona.

Joan is a member of the international archaeological team from the Sorbonne University in Qasr Shamamok, Erbil (Iraq) since 2013. I performed and recorded the ancient Hurrian song “Hymn to Nikkal” to be displayed in the exhibition “Archaeology and Aesthetics” at the ISAW (2015). I also performed the Hymn live on the inauguration day of the exhibition. He volunteers in an orphanage in Kathmandu, Nepal, since December 2015, training children to sing and doing architectural rehabilitation work on the orphanage building.

Documentation: Giacomo Francia