Sheffield, 3 March 2009
Dear colleagues and friends,
With a slight delay I am pleased to send out our second newsletter for this year. The delay is partially explained by an addition to my family, as my third daughter was born on February 4th and I have taken the liberty to post an image on our Flickr-account, www.flickr.
All the best,
Andreas Önnerfors
1) Launch of our lecture series, Thursday March 5
On Thursday 5 March our lecture series on Freemasonry and Fraternalism in Eastern Europe will be launched with a lecture by Dr. Robert Collis on “Hewing the Rough Stone: Masonic Influence in Peter the Great’s Russia, 1689-1725”.
Two weeks later, on Thursday 19th March, Tatiana Artyemeva from the Herzen State University in St. Petersburg will speak about “Utopia Spaces of Russian Masons”.
Ernest Zitser from Duke University will present a lecture entitled “The Petrine Round Table: Chivalry, Travesty, and Fraternalism at the Court of Peter the Great” on March 26.
The lecture series will be continued after an Easter break at the end of April.
All lectures in March will take place at the centre, 34 Gell Street, Sheffield S37QY, starting at 5.15pm.
Abstracts and biographies can be found on our website under “News and events” 2009
2) Second Film Screening, Monday March 9th 2009
Our second film screening for this term will take place on Monday March 9th at The Showroom Cinema, 7 Paternoster Row, S1 2BX with a screening of “The Man Who Would Be King” at 6.30 pm. A panel-discussion with the following participants will take place after the film :
Sheldon Hall, Barbara Bush (both from Sheffield Hallam University) and Jürgen Zimmerer, Daniel Karlin and Andreas Önnerfors (all from The University of Sheffield).
A report from the successful screening and discussion of “The Magic Flute” follows further below.
3) Second Workshop on the Temple Legend, Sunday March 29th 2009
As a follow-up to the centre’s workshop on the Temple Legend and the links between Theosophy, Anthroposophy and Freemasonry in November 2008, a second stimulating workshop, offering the opportunity for open discussion, will take place on Sunday March 29th 2009 at the centre. The workshop will explore the symbolism contained in the story of the building of Solomon’s Temple, with contributions from Dr. Andreas Önnerfors and Dr. Peter Grünewald and a narration of the story as recorded by C.W. Heckethorn in his book “Secret Societies” by Robert Chamberlain (the former director of Merlin Theatre in Sheffield) with original live soundscapes created by Andrew Thompson (music tutor at Freeman College in Sheffield).
Dr. Peter Grünewald is a medical doctor and has been studying and practising anthroposophical medicine for more than 16 years. His particular interest is research into the therapeutic aspects of substances and their application in the treatment of chronic mental and physical illness. In 2002, he published the book “Gold and the Philosopher’s Stone: Treating Chronic Physical and Mental Illness with Mineral Remedies”.
4) LMF new catalogue
The Library and Museum of Freemasonry in London has been installing a new Library Management System (electronic catalogue) in January and it can be accessed as before on the website at www.freemasonry.london.museum. The web OPAC is not that unfamiliar as it is still supplied by EOS International but now users should be able to do better searches. The LMF is interested in your opinions of the new catalogue, so if you do get a chance to have a look at it, please let them know what you think, especially if you experience any technical errors.
Contact:
Martin Cherry
Librarian
The Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Freemasons' Hall
Great Queen Street
London, WC2B 5AZ
email: mcherry@freemasonry.london.
http://www.freemasonry.london.
5) OVN
The Dutch OVN Foundation (for research into freemasonry and related currents) is looking for an additional editor for the English version of its newsletter:
Vacancy (web) editor
The OVN Foundation for academic research into the history of Freemasonry in the Netherlands, publishes an online newsletter in the form of a blog, available in both an English and a Dutch version. As these are becoming more popular with readers, it is time to professionalise the English edition http://ovnnews.blogspot.com
A Dutch editor is already responsible for posting announcements and reviews of publications, conferences, courses, completed PhD projects and other developments relevant to the field of study, as well as providing some translations for the English version. A new English editor would be a welcome addition. He/she will be responsible for checking translations before posting and independently adding relevant international news.
The OVN board would like to hear from interested students/scholars in the field of study, who have some editorial experience, as well as a relevant international network. For more information, please contact: info@stichtingovn.nl
6) Reminder about the Sorbonne Roundtable, March 19th 2009
We want to remind the recipients of this newsletter about the workshop taking place on Thursday 19th March at the Sorbonne in Paris. This year the annual study day at the Sorbonne will be devoted to freemasonry as a source of inspiration for artists in several fields, such as music, poetry, novels etc. Charles Porset and Cécile Révauger will discuss the advancement of the dictionary, which is drawing to a close and will soon be ready for publication. Admission is free.
We are looking forward to seeing you in Paris,
Charles Porset and Cécile Révauger
Les Muses maçonnes
Sorbonne, /Salles des Actes/
Mercredi 18 mars (9h-18h)
Ouverture par G. Forestier, Professeur à la Sorbonne-Paris IV,
Directeur du CELLF 17e -18e siècles
Présentation par Ch. Porset, (CRNS –CELLF Université de Paris-Sorbonne))
Roger Dachez (Président de l’IMF),
Madame Provensal, sœur et épouse mystique de J.-B. Willermoz : une Supérieure Méconnue
Gerardo Tocchini, (Université de Venise)
De Bélisaire aux Incas. Des réseaux maçonniques Au roman maçonnique. Itinéraire de J.-F. Marmontel
Discussion
Afternoon:
Simona Variara (Université de Pise) (à préciser)
Andrew Pink (University College Londres)
Traductions et transpositions : les origines anglaises de la musique maçonnique dans l’Europe francophone du début du dix-huitième siècle..
Discussion
Charles Porset-Cécile Révauger
Le Monde maçonnique des Lumières: Conclusion d’une aventureCécile Révauger (Université de Bordeaux III)
Conclusion générale
7) Reminder ICHF
Likewise, we would like to remind everybody intending to participate in the Second ICHF in Edinburgh in May 2009 of the early registration deadline on Friday March 27.
Please access www.ichfonline.org or www.northernnetworking.co.uk
for more information.
8) NEW BOOK! Jan Snoek: Ritual Dynamics in the Independent United Order of Mechanics
After long delay, the library of Heidelberg University has finally put Jan Snoek’s Internet publication online!
Ritual Dynamics in the Independent United Order of Mechanics (Forum Ritualdynamik 16); Heidelberg: SFB 619 Ritualdynamik der Ruprecht-Karls Universität Heidelberg (x + 80)
You may find it at:
- Go to:
http://archiv.ub.uni-
- Scroll to the bottom of this page.
- There you will find the publication as issue 16 of "Forum Ritualdynamik".
- Choose "Fulltext" ("Abstract" does not function).
- On the next page the abstract (in German) is found on the lower part, but on the upper part you will find: "pdf-Format: (30.838 KB)".
- Klick here on "Dokument 1.pdf".
- The file now opens on your screen.
9) NEW BOOK! Jan Birksted: Le Corbusier and the Occult
Dr JK Birksted (UCL Bartlett School of Architecture) discusses in a podcast the unexpected discoveries that led to his book ‘Le Corbusier and the Occult’, published on 18 February by MIT Press, and reveals the previously unexplored Swiss and Masonic influences on Le Corbusier, which are all unveiled in his new book on this iconic architect.
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/
10) Report from the screening of “The Magic Flute”
On Monday 16th February 2009 a film version of The Magic Flute (directed by Ingmar Bergman) was screened at The Showroom Cinema in Sheffield. The event gathered a large audience and was followed by a panel discussion. We have collected together some of the impressions of the evening from panellists, the audience and the organisers.
Dr. Andrew Pink from UCL kindly gave us permission to republish his impressions from the event:
“Monday evening's screening and discussion of Ingmar Bergman's 'Magic Flute' (1975) - hosted by Sheffield University's Centre for Research into Freemasonry and Fraternalism (CRFF), at the city's 'art house' Showroom cinema complex - was really rather impressive on a number of levels. In particular, CRFF had recruited for the event an excellent panel (admittedly, myself included!), that was truly interdisciplinary and of real international quality, and this appears to have been reflected in the numbers who attended the film and the discussion. For the most part, the large audience was a cross-section of the interested general public of Sheffield, rather than - as one might imagine - students and staff of the university. This is important. The screening was part of a much wider series of masonic-related films, planned by CRFF, which is fast becoming a fine example of good practice in Public Engagement. Actively engaging with the public is a recent addition to the list of desirable outcomes in UK university research, and who can deny that engaging the public in university research is 'a good thing'? (Not least because, by and large, the public is paying for it!) But, engaging the public in top-level academic research is easier said than done, as many academics elsewhere have found to their cost. However, here, in using film to provide the space for such engagement, we see every sign of it developing into a sustainable model, and one worth emulating. Part of the success is due to the wise choice of locating the series in an excellent, modern venue in the heart of the City; one that is already well-established and well -used by Sheffield citizens. Most impressive of all however, is that the initiative is growing out a research field (freemasonry) that is comparatively new, and as yet relatively under-developed, not only at Sheffield, but also in the wider British context. Please ask me again. ”
Professor Andrew Linn:
“It was a very pleasant evening with a strong panel and an impressively large and well informed audience. The hospitality afterwards was greatly appreciated.”
Professor Simon Keefe:
“It was great to have the opportunity to see Ingmar Bergman’s film of The Magic Flute again at the Showroom. I have seen it many times over the years and never fail to be delighted by its magical, lightly worn charm. The discussion afterwards was stimulating indeed, not least because all panellists approached the work from different perspectives and because many the audience members came in with perceptive questions and observations from the floor. A thoroughly memorable occasion!”
Professor Emeritus James Stevens Curl:
“Although I had seen the Bergman film years ago, it was interesting to view it again. It was a pity it was damaged in parts, as the score was broken in places. The excellent and stimulating conversations, however, both formal and informal, were most agreeable, and the occasion was very well worthwhile. It was a pity the panel could not have continued exchanging ideas with the audience for a bit longer: this was splendid interaction.
I thought the choice of the hotel was first-rate, and the organisation of the entire occasion was excellent. It was very pleasant to meet old friends again, and to make the acquaintance of new faces. All in all, a thoroughly successful event.
Kindest regards, JSC”
Professor Malcolm Davies:
“It was a very interesting experience to see and discuss the film. The panel had an excellent mix of expertise that was able to put the film as a film, the music of Mozart and the Libretto by Schikaneder and Gieseke into perspective.”
From the audience,
Peter Fagerlind:
“My civil partner, Malcolm Holmes and I (Peter Fagerlind) attended the screening of the Magic Flute at the Showroom, shown as part of a series of films being shown for The University of Sheffield's Centre For Research Into Freemasonry and Fraternalism.
The film was very good and the sound quality was excellent. However, my partner Malcolm Holmes who has to use a hearing loop as he is severely profoundly deaf found the loop system not to be working very well and in fact when he asked for a loop at the box office was initially offered the wrong type of hearing loop for someone who wears behind-the-ear hearing aids.
The screening was followed by a panel discussion in Showroom 5 where a panel of academics from Sheffield University and other universities from around Europe took questions from the audience. This was held in Showroom 5.
Unfortunately my partner Malcolm Holmes was forced to leave early as there was not a functioning hearing loop system in place and in fact it appeared that there may have been no hearing loop system in place in Showroom 5 at all. He was unable to hear the questions and answers.
I remained in Showroom 5 and enjoyed the questions and answers from the expert panel. There were quite a few freemasons in the audience and their questions about the film and Mozart's The Magic Flute were very interesting. Other questions about the translation into Swedish of the libretto and the regional accents/dialects used were also very interesting.
My only criticism of some of the comments made by the panel is that as a layperson with a limited knowledge of freemasonry and its history, some of the answers assumed that the audience knew a lot more than maybe they did.
All in all though, it was a pleasant evening of film/music and intellectual discussion which then continued in the Showroom Bar until quite a late hour!”
And from the Organisers,
Dorothe Sommer:
“I was very nervous beforehand. Not only because Andreas Önnerfors was away and I had to do the introduction, also, how could I not fall asleep during a film lasting longer than 2 hours, in which the actors were only singing in Swedish and the subtitles were English? And then, surprisingly, the opera was so entertaining that I really enjoyed watching it. Not only that, some parts were even quite funny. Afterwards, the panellists just continued on that level of entertainment, answering the questions with a lot of knowledge and experience of the topic. I’m still thankful that they all could come and didn’t seem to regret their participation. It was one of the best events I had since coming to the CRFF.”
Robert Collis
“I am a big fan of Bergman’s films, but had never seen his production of The Magic Flute before. Although slightly dated, I enjoyed the film a lot. It was also extremely pleasing to see a full house at the cinema, which is something we had hoped to achieve. The panel discussion afterwards was lively, informed and touched on a variety of different perspectives (both Masonic and non-Masonic). Overall, I feel it was a great success for the centre and hopefully an evening that the general public enjoyed.”
Dr. Andreas Önnerfors
Director / Senior Lecturer in History
Centre for Research into Freemasonry and Fraternalism
34, Gell Street
Sheffield S3 7QY
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0)114 222 9893
Fax: +44 (0)114 222 98 94
Email: a.onnerfors@sheffield.
Website: www.freemasonry.dept.
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