ROOFTOP SEASON OPENING EVENT: An Ecstatic Solstice Celebration at NOoSPHERE Arts

NOoSPHERE Arts will kick off its outdoor season with a music, dance, and performing arts event celebrating the summer solstice. Held in the spectacular, one-of-a-kind setting of wildflower meadows stretching across the roofs of an industrial plant against the iconic backdrop of the NYC skyline, the event will be centered around a Sufi opening ritual honoring nature's cycles, performed by Whirling Dervish Farima Berenji. Farima—a Sufi Master and Magi and her sacred dancers will be accompanied by the klezmer music and Sephardic folk melodies of The Shul Band. The ceremony has been designed as a unique blend of Muslim and Jewish elements—epitomizing the possibility of interfaith collaboration. 

The main event will involve solo acts, duets, and a whirling performance in which several participants—including Cyr wheelers—will interpret the movements of individual planets around a star. The show will also feature poetry readings and storytelling by Master Farima and be accompanied by the live music of the Shul Band. Following the whirlers’ performances, The Shul Band will keep playing against the darkening night sky.

In addition, don’t miss the unveiling of Westerlies (a sonic and sculptural installation devised for the Kingsland Wildflowers Green Roof) by the 2023 season's KWBS Residency Award winners: Ezra Campelli and Jeremy Clemente.

Westerlies is a captivating sonic and sculptural installation specifically designed for the enchanting Kingsland Wildflowers Green Roof. Immerse yourself in this unique experience as you encounter a copse of towering bamboo aeolian flutes, their haunting melodies harmonized by the prevailing winds that gracefully sweep across the rooftop garden.

Stroll through the vibrant wildflowers, and you will find yourself attuned to the whimsical cadence of the ever-changing wind cycles—an essential yet often unseen force intricately intertwined with the delicate balance of life around us. With the transition of seasons, from the blossoming of spring to the waning of fall, the Aeolian forest's ethereal symphony will effortlessly evolve alongside the winds' shifting directions and intensities.

Westerlies invites the audience to embrace the harmonious convergence of art, nature, and the ever-present winds that shape our world. Step into this captivating space and let the melodies carried by the bamboo flutes guide your contemplation, inspiring a profound connection with the environment we call home.