The next guest in the Knowledge Friday series at The Church is Paul Vogel, “who is now widely considered the dean of the American bookbinding community,” according to Alec Scott of The New York Times. The owner of Vogel Bindery since 1979, he will discuss the craft, the history of the book, and his own origin story as a bookbinder Friday at 6 p.m. at the Sag Harbor arts center.
Ensconced in his workshop in East Hampton for the past 34 years, Mr. Vogel has dedicated himself to the craft of hand bookbinding. His work encompasses traditional binding, restoration, and the creation of custom-made cases and desk accessories. Every project is executed by hand using archival quality materials and centuries-old techniques.
After his talk, Mr. Vogel will invite members of the audience to learn the figure-eight stitch and create their own take-home, hand-bound booklet. Tickets are $10, free for members who R.S.V.P.
“dArK oXyGen,” a sonic dance installation by mayfield brooks, a resident artist at The Church who uses they/them pronouns, will happen on Saturday afternoon at 2.
Inspired in part by the recent discovery of oxygen production in the deep ocean where sunlight cannot penetrate, “dArK oXyGen” examines the idea of entering darkness as a generative process, inspired by mayfield brooks’s childhood memories of singing Black gospel music; primordial ocean myths; decomposed whales or whale falls, and dances that rely on breath to move the body and voice.
The audience can expect a passive yet immersive experience, according to The Church, bringing a sense of depth and submersion that reveals how cycles of light and dark, life and death, are always entwined. Created in concert with the movement to permanently ban deep-sea mining, mayfield brooks invites the audience to immerse itself in an installation that conjures breath and breathlessness as spiritual and eco-conscious awakening.
A movement-based performance artist, vocalist, urban farmer, writer, and “wanderer,” mayfield brooks is the 2021 recipient of the biennial Merce Cunningham Award from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts; a 2021 Bessie/New York Dance and Performance Award nominee for their experimental dance film, “Whale Fall,” and a 2022 Danspace Project Platform artist. They were a 2022-2023 Hodder Fellow at Princeton University, the 2024 Alma Hawkins Visiting Chair at U.C.L.A. with the World Arts and Cultures/Dance program, and a 2025 Creative Time Research and Development Fellow.
“dArK oXyGen” was presented at Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village in June 2025 and will be shown at Wesleyan University’s Center for the Arts on Feb. 19 and 20. Its development has been supported by the center, and by a Pillow Lab Residency at Jacob’s Pillow, and a performance residency at The Church.
Tickets are $20, $15 for members.
Participatory movement is on The Church’s agenda at 3 p.m. on Monday, when Kveta (Kiki) Hajkova, a holistic health facilitator, will invite audience members to immerse themselves in a free-form dance program and to dance “until they disappear.” Movement and music will be utilized to cultivate the transformative energy force within each participant. No prior dance experience is necessary.
“Whether you are moving your body physically, or practicing meditations or mindfulness, or seeking spirituality, I am bringing awareness to how everything is connected in one energetic field,” says Ms. Hajkova, who was cited by Avenue Magazine as one of “six fitness experts who are shaking up the Hamptons.”
Participants have been advised to dress comfortably and take their own yoga mat, blanket, or cushions to use on the floor before and after dancing. Chairs will be provided for those who need them.
Tickets are $10, free for members who R.S.V.P.
