Edmund de Waal on the Psalms

Artist Edmund de Waal presents an illustrated talk exploring the Psalms across cultures and centuries. Drawing on his own long-standing engagement with the text, he reflects on why the Psalms continue to matter and how they have been read, remembered and reinterpreted over time.

The event considers the Psalms as a shared cultural inheritance, resonating within Jewish and Christian traditions and also with the Islamic tradition of the Zabur. De Waal highlights their influence on music, poetry, sacred art and dance, and frames the talk as a reflection on plurality, translation and the movement of ideas across traditions.

The session includes time for audience questions, making it both a lecture and an open conversation. It is presented in the context of the Cultural Programme Fellowship and offers attendees an opportunity to hear from a major contemporary artist on a subject that connects religion, art and cultural history.