Art

Rebirth Tunnel Immersive Art Installations

Most of us go through multiple rebirths during our lives. Birth, like death, is a universally shared human experience. And yet our lives and existences are ever-changing and not static after birth. We are reborn in many ways throughout our lives, sometimes on a regular basis and other times during important, pivotal periods of growth and transformation. Especially after change or tumult, a ceremony, ritual, rite of passage, or other physical event can help to actualize a person’s rebirth.

After years of researching birth as a rite of passage in the arts and humanities, and rebirth after trauma in the arts (specifically in the context of modern and contemporary Catalan art following cultural destruction during Spain’s Civil War and subsequent dictatorship), as well as following a personal rebirth ceremony I experienced alone with my two children on the banks of Ireland’s River Shannon in the summer of 2022, in 2023 I began developing immersive art installations called “Rebirth Tunnels.”

The Henry Luce Foundation and the American Academy of Religion have recently awarded my Rebirth Tunnel Immersive Art Installation a 2025 Luce-AAR Advancing Public Scholarship Grant. The grant will provide significant help in developing the Rebirth Tunnel in the public sphere. The American Academy of Religion (AAR) had previously awarded me a Regional Development grant to create one of these installations at the annual conference of the American Academy of Religion, Western Region (AARWR), which was held at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) in March 2024. At that time, I also gave a talk at the conference about how the Rebirth Tunnel became a part of my life, and presented a basic description of the event in a spotlight interview with the AAR in early 2024.

Creating a new and very different iteration of the rebirth tunnel, I also received kind donations from the Bounce Back Generation and the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House (NABE), two nonprofits in San Francisco that especially serve the residents of Potrero Hill, including low-income families of Potrero Hill Terrace & Annex Public Housing. Working with a community I’ve known for years through the San Francisco Birth Circle, we created an art immersive Rebirth Tunnel installation on Saturday, January 11th, 2025. The installation was part of a community film and art project related to rebirth after trauma held at the NABE that day.

Below are some reviews from participants who experienced the immersive Rebirth Tunnel installation at both UNLV and the NABE. Janice Poss, AARWR Women’s Caucus Liaison, was the Rebirth Doula who helped me (Rebirth Midwife) during the UNLV event. Ernestine Bernard, a resident of Potrero Hill Terrace-Annex, was the Rebirth Doula during the NABE event.

The 2025 Luce-AAR Advancing Public Scholarship Grant will fund the development of another iteration of the project to be held in San Francisco’s Lower Haight neighborhood.

Each iteration of the Rebirth Tunnel is contextual and based on the social environment in which it is placed. At the AARWR conference, which focuses on histories and realities of religions across traditions, the Rebirth Tunnel also served as a communal space for peace in the Middle East that was co-sponsored by the 2024 chairs of the Islamic Studies unit, the Jewish Studies unit, and the Women’s Caucus. In Potrero Hill, the focus was on rebirth after trauma especially for low income populations facing day to day struggles and intergenerational trauma.

Rebirth Tunnel Art Immersive Installation Experiences

My experience was one of DISCOVERY – like peeling back layers of habit and, with introspection, opening /birthing new insights with freedom to express agency. Such an awesome experience!!
-Dr. Valerie Miles-Tribble

Very impactful– more than expected. Artistic and very moving. There are ways that this idea of ‘rebirth’ really challenges trauma and helps healing.
-Dr. Marie Cartier

I had the privilege of experiencing Anna Hennessey’s “Rebirth Tunnel” immersive art installation, and it was a truly powerful and transformative experience. The careful thought and intention behind every element—from the Re-Conception Pod to the Renewal Box—allowed participants to engage deeply with their own journeys of rebirth and renewal. The installation not only fostered personal introspection but also created a sense of communal hope and connection, especially in the context of peace and healing. Anna’s work is a testament to the impact art can have on both individuals and communities, and I highly recommend experiencing it if you have the opportunity.
-Kali (Meera) Tanikella

The Rebirth Tunnel installation was really insightful. When you think of an art installation you think of looking at a painting, something immersive and almost intimidating. However this experience was accessible for anyone. Its an affirming experience for your inner person. Going to the installation at the Potrero Nabe was truly breath taking. When you come through the tunnel it feels like a big weight has lifted off your chest.
-Raina Mariano-Dhillon

The Rebirth Tunnel was an intimately spiritual moment of self-reflection in which I was able to take my moment to take stock of my breathing, my being, and my belonging to a larger community of justice-minded scholar-activists. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect as I approached the Tunnel, but the doula-guides provided starting context and ending affirmation, creating a space for anticipation and hope.
-Jacob Perez, MTS

The Rebirth Tunnel installation was a meaningful experience. In the midst of a busy conference, we were able to shift to a broader, deeper perspective and take stock. It was immersive and affirming, offering a powerful contrast between “before” and “after.” Our family had recently been blessed with the birth of a child, which lent additional conceptual and emotional dimensions to the installation.
-Dr. Alexander Warren Marcus

The rebirth tunnel was a refreshing and affirmative experience in the midst of the sometimes overly-critical and stressful environment of an academic conference. Relying on the imagery of womb-life and growth, the rebirth tunnel encouraged each person with the healing power of motherly affirmation.
-Dr. Thomas Selover

In the midst of a busy conference, both as participant and organizer, I experienced the Rebirth Tunnel Immersive Art Installation as a reprieve, a meditation that grounded my sense of identity, of worth, and of love. The experience was rejuvenating and reaffirming. I am so grateful to have had that meditative moment that the Rebirth Tunnel offered so gently, graciously, and generously.
-Dr. Roberta Sabbath

A Rebirth Doula Reflection: What is a “Doula”? I had never heard the term before Anna invited me to be her Doula on this rebirth project. Word usage changes frequently, and English borrows from many languages, so being a vocabulary nerd, I understood its meaning in context. Merriam-Webster defines a doula as “a person trained to provide advice, information, emotional support, and physical comfort to a mother before, during, and just after childbirth. Research shows that childbirth does go more smoothly with a doula.” The etymology is Greek in origin. As a doula, I provided ‘after’ support in honoring and validating each person’s private experience on exiting the tunnel. As they exited, my pastoral humility took over in a compassionate response, allowing them time to re-orient. Observing each person as they came out, I noted their expressions were silent and reflective or immediately affected and verbally expressive of their feelings. I then presented each with an officiating certificate with their name signed by Anna and me as the Rebirth Authorities. Most seemed appreciative, even surprised at having the validation of the certificate.
I practice Christian meditation, so quiet spaces are comfortable for me. The tunnel, decorated with flower garlands, was a beautiful, gentle touch. The video repeating affirmations was a reminder to be. Dropping a written missive into the receptacle in the middle was a prayerful act of “letting go” and gifting it to the cosmos. Anna and I dressed in pastels of pink and white, as the total experience is important from beginning to end. The aesthetics of beauty, color, and sound in religious and spiritual practice pull people out of their daily routines into a different time and space, which opens people up to receiving inner connectedness to self.
Being chosen as the Doula for this project was a humbling responsibility. Helping others connect or reconnect with spiritual aspects of their inner selves aids in the overall betterment of our world. As a religious academic, praxis and scholarship always go together.
-Janice Poss, Women’s Caucus Liaison
American Academy of Religion, Western Region

Anna Hennessey, PhD

Rebirth Tunnel Immersive Art Installation