P R E S S
R E L E A S E S 2004
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September 22, 2004
MASS MoCA Hosts Islamic Discussions
(North Adams, Mass.)-- In celebration of the beginning of Ramadan, MASS MoCA will host a New Voices of Islam Weekend. The highlights will include several discussions of the culture and religion with leading feminist Islamic filmmakers and musicians, as well as a children's art-making event. On Thursday, October 21, there will be a conversation with filmmaker Rebeah Ghaffari and Williams College Professor William Darrow at 6 P.M. On Saturday, October 23, at 1 P.M. there will be an event for kids presented by Northern Berkshire Creative Arts involving Islamic stencils and body art; at 5:30 PM, In Conversation with Riffat Sultana and Cheb I Sabbah will be moderated by Dartmouth religion professor Kevin Reinhardt.
The talk on October 21 will be with Iranian filmmaker Rabeah Ghaffari. Born in Iran, Ghaffari immigrated to America at age seven. She has appeared in shows at the Duplex, Judith Anderson Theatre, the Kitchen, LaMaMa ETC and Theatre 22 in NYC. She has worked at the Shooting Gallery and Sundance and has recently started her own film company, Fancy Films. The Troupe, a feature length documentary about a Ta'ziyeh Troupe's journey from Iran to New York's Lincoln Center, was her film-directing debut and was executive produced by Shirin Neshat. Ghaffari is currently in development for her feature film narrative, Neyshapoor (Official selection 2004 IFP Market/Emerging Narrative). During the children's event kids will learn how one of the oldest living cultures influenced our own, while making traditional Islamic arts and crafts projects. The projects will include a Ramadan Calendar Chain in which children glue or tape 30 strips of construction paper into a chain and then tear one off each day, as well as a Fanoos Lantern which was traditionally carried by children of Egypt to light the way for a religious official as he went outside on the first night of Ramadan to check for the moon signaling its beginning. The October 23 conversation is slated to include an in-depth discussion of how the Ramadan fast (which will be happening during the date of the performance and lecture) is observed musically by various sects of the Islamic faith. Sultana cover Pakistani traditions with a focus on how gender in Islamic culture has formed her experiences as a performer (she is the first female solo performer from her family). Sabbah will center on North African and Moroccan Islamic traditions and influences in his music. He will also be looking at South Asia and the interplay between Hindu and Muslim traditions. Also, as a Berber Jew, Sabbah will discuss how Jewish and Islamic traditions interact. Professor Reinhardt will connect the two artists and cultures and set a backdrop for the traditions of Islamic (and specifically Sufi) music. The talk will be followed by a question and answer session. Growing up in Lahore, Pakistan, Riffat Sultana learned the nuances of her family's musical tradition from her father and her brothers, all acclaimed singers in their own right. She is the first woman from her family's 500-year musical lineage to publicly perform in the West. She is the daughter of Ustad Salamat Ali Khan, who was universally recognized and acclaimed as the finest Pakistani classical singer of his time. Riffat's family lineage represents musicians hailing from the Sham Chaurasi Gharana (school of music). The Ali Khan family members are direct descendents of two famed court musicians, Suraj (of the Sun) Khan and Chand (of the Moon) Khan, who performed Morning and Evening Ragas respectively for the artistically devoted Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great. Born in Algeria, DJ Cheb i Sabbah might be best described as a ritual music "hajji" a musical pilgrim of the spirit. He began spinning in Paris in 1964. His work with The Living Theatre troupe led him to some of the earliest attempts at turning the spinning of discs into a dramatic art. He has been a fixture on the club scene in San Francisco since the late '80s. Professor William Darrow is the Jackson Professor of Religion and chair of the department of religion at Williams College, where he has taught since 1981. Darrow specializes in the religions of the Middle East. He has published articles in numerous journals, such as the Harvard Theological Review and the Journal of the American Academy of Religion. Darrow received his B.A. from the University of California at Santa Barbara and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University. The New Voices of Islam Weekend will also include a Whirling Dervish Sufi Dance Party at 8 P.M. on Saturday, October 23, and on Thursday, October 21, there will be a screening of the documentaries Our Times and Covered Girls at 8 P.M. followed by a discussion with the Covered Girls filmmakers. All the events are made possible in part by the Islamic World Arts Initiative, a program of Arts International generously supported by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art. New Voices in Islam is presented in collaboration with Dartmouth College's Hopkins Center for the Arts and Hood Museum of Art. For Dartmouth events visit www.dartmouth.edu/~hop/. Tickets for the culture breaks and kids event are free with museum admission, but should be reserved in advance. Tickets for the films are $6, and tickets for the dance party are $15 in advance and $18 at the door. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located off Marshall Street in North Adams from 11 A.M. until 5 P.M. (closed Tuesdays). Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during Box Office hours or purchased on line at www.massmoca.org. MASS MoCA, the largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts in the United States, is located off Marshall St. in North Adams on a 13-acre campus of renovated 19th-century factory buildings. For Immediate ReleaseContact: Katherine Myers
(413) 664-4481 x8113
katherine@massmoca.org