Upcoming projects/exhibitionsسخن دل Sokhaneh del – language/speech of the heart
Featuring Aarti Jadu, Inbal Nissim & Javad Kashani
9 March ––1 June 2024
سخن دل Sokhaneh del – language/speech of the heart is a collaborative residency that examines the idea of ‘devotion’ or, more rightly, samimiyat صمیمیت, its widened meaning in the Persian-speaking world and, as inspired by the poetry of beloved master poet Maulana Jalal al-Din (Maulana) /Rumi.
It’s an idea that encompasses a deep commitment to authentic friendship, conversation, love, community and the search for the authentic self and the divine - qualities that lie at the heart of much classical Persian poetry.
The project features multi-channel sound work, community singing and performance by Aarti, painting and community making by Inbal, and mixed-media works on paper by Javad.
From March to June, the artists will collaborate/respond, make, and present a series of exhibits and activities while drawing in other collaborators from the fields of literature and dance.
Alongside the exhibitions, community-making and a range of events have been planned. The project, presented in three parts outlined below, aims to foster a space for deep and authentic self-reflection, community connection, and friendship based on shared principles of humility, respect, generosity, kindness, and care for others. Continue reading to learn more and book for activities. Events are listed below under Upcoming special events & activities.
–– Part 1 Thursday, 9/3/24 – Saturday, 30/3/24
گوش بده / Listen
Music, Poetry & Guided Meditation
Aarti Jadu with Inbal Nissim & Javad Kashani
The first part (March) focuses on the art of sound and poetry and the generative, restorative power of guided meditation. It features a reimagining of Aarti’s historical site-specific installation, Embodiments 2021-22, presented in 2021-22 as part of the wider ACCA project ‘Whose Afraid of Public Space?’
Adapted to suit the intimate interior of correspondences and the streetscape out front, Embodiments 2024 continues Aarti’s longstanding inquiries into group devotional music practice and the idea and experience of the temple – exploring intersections with related notions of reverence and rites that deeply foster creativity, self-discovery/reflexivity and relationships with others. Inbal will present a large-scale ink painting on paper. Specially commissioned for the project, it will be installed in the gallery's front window, where it will remain for the project's duration.
Javad will present a series of mixed-media works on paper inspired by a selection of poems by Maulana/Rumi. Accompanied by pictorial elements, the poetic text in the drawings will be hand-written in Farsi—a heartfelt acknowledgement of Maulana/Rumi and Javad’s mother tongue that invites audiences to be curious and patient, noticing the beauty of the Farsi script.
Upon entering the space, please collect a cushion or stool and settle down to listen. The sound runs in one-hour cycles daily from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. We recommend enjoying a cup of tea before or after. The gesture aims to cultivate slowness and a sense of lingering.
During this part, the audience is invited to join the first of three community singing sessions led by Aarti. Our monthly Open House/Multilingual Poetry Reading Circle will also take place.
––Part 2 4/4/24 – Saturday, 27/4/24
خاموش Khamoush / Silence
Painting & Silent Meditation
Inbal Nissm with Aarti Jadu & Javad Kashani
The second part (April) focuses on the art of painting and poetry – while continuing to foster a space for meditation, this time through the act of embracing silence. It features selected works made during Inbal’s recent residency at DESA in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia.
The works continue Inbal’s longstanding inquiries into life and nature, the private, collective, historical and subconscious experiences and memories of death, loss, and dreaming, as well as moments of tender ephemeral human sensations – such as her ecstatic connections with materiality and nature.
The works provide a gathering point for the artists and audiences to meet each Thursday at 4 pm and Saturday at 11 am to meditate together for 15 minutes in silence - an act that takes its cue from Maulana/Rumi, whose poems spoke to the transformative power of silence and often featured the refrain خاموش khamoush (silence). By embracing silence, we provide space for deeper listening and self-reflection.
Inbal will also use this time to continue her making on-site, drawing on Aarti’s sound and Maulana/Rumi's poetry to explore her ecstatic connection with materiality and nature more deeply in the project's final part. Javad’s drawings will remain on display.
Community singing with Aarti will continue this month, and Inbal will facilitate a community painting activity. Our monthly Open House/Multilingual Poetry Reading Circle will also continue.
––Part 3 Thursday, 2/5/24 – Saturday, 1/6/24
The path to samimiyat صمیمیت
Music, Poetry, Painting & Meditative Dance
Aarti Jadu, Inbal Nissim & Javad Kashani
The final part (May/June) focuses on new works of music, poetry, painting and meditative dance.
It features new developments in Aarti's community singing practice and environmental sound studies from the residency at correspondences. It may also respond to a poem/series of poems by Maulana/Rumi or related ideas gathered from throughout the residency experience – to be presented as a site-generated/based soundscape.
Inbal will showcase a body of new paintings, drawing from the first two parts of the residency experience, focusing on her ecstatic connection with materiality and nature. Javad’s series of mixed-media works on paper will also remain on display. The project's culmination will be a dance and percussive sound performance by two special collaborators, to be announced soon. Inspiration will come from the project's focus on deep listening, meditation, and poetry—also grounded in Maulana/Rumi's passionate commitment to the practice of sama, or whirling. Our monthly Open House/Multilingual Poetry Reading Circle will take place on 31 May and will feature a special guest speaker to be announced.
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