Punk Photographer Captures the Easter Story

The Resurrection

Photo Credit: Dennis Morris
Diocese of London
CMS

17/03/08

A world famous photographer, best known for his iconic images of the Sex Pistols and Bob Marley during the 1970s, has shot a series of photographs that will help Church of England parishes in London to tell the Easter story to primary schoolchildren across the capital.

Dennis Morris, who in recent years has taken images of the likes of The Prodigy and Oasis, has teamed up with the Diocese of London to produce an ‘Easter Teaching Resources’ pack aimed at actively engaging young people with the last days of Christ’s life.

The Diocese of London commissioned Dennis to take a series of images that mark six key events in the Easter Story. With this year’s Holy Week unusually falling during term time, these images have been used to help create a teaching pack devised by the Diocese to help aid teachers explain the significance of Easter to young people. As well as being used in over 130 Church of England schools with around 40,000 pupils across the Diocese of London, vicars from the Diocese’s 479 parishes have been invited by a number of the capital’s non-church schools to help Christians and pupils of other faiths to learn about Easter with the pack.

The Easter Teaching Resources pack includes ideas for assembly plans and workshops during Holy Week along with the series of images that depict key events such as the Last Supper and the Crucifixion. The images are designed to provoke thought and generate discussion in schools throughout the capital.

The unique images in the teaching pack were recreated by Dennis with the help of young Londoners. During the course of a week in December 2007, Dennis worked with young people from St Stephen’s and St Mary’s Islington in North London to produce a series of shots in which the young people played the role of Christ and other key figures. The final product is a series of images that tells the Easter story in a contemporary urban setting.

Sam Donoghue, Children’s Ministry Adviser, the Diocese of London said:

“With Easter falling during the school term this year, the Diocese of London is looking to work with schools in explaining the reason why as a country we celebrate and recognise this time of year. Everyone loves chocolate Easter eggs, but we also want to help young people in their understanding of the significance of Easter, whether or not they’re Christian or go to Church.

“The unique images Dennis Morris has created, which form part of the teaching pack, will be an invaluable learning resource that has been created with young people for young people.”

Dennis Morris said:

“It was a pleasure to work with the Diocese of London in bringing the Easter story to life. I discovered photography when I was a nine year old choir boy at St Mark Dalston, in East London, and this project has given me the chance to give something back to both the Church and the community. I hope these images will provoke thought and generate discussion around the significance of Easter."

The images and teaching pack for Easter 2008 are online at www.london.anglican.org/Easter-2008.