The Shed

Artists Ed Cooke and Merijn Royaards discuss the creation of the 11th iteration of Sonic Sphere, a vast, 65-foot-diameter spherical concert hall suspended in air in The Shed’s soaring, 115-foot-tall McCourt. This revolutionary new architectural space features immersive, 3-D sound and light explorations of music by boundary-pushing artists. _______________ Within the sphere, you are surrounded by more than 100 speakers that move sound above, below, through, and around your body. Sound and light waves are sculpted into spatialized, temporal architectures. Together, they create hyperreal and deeply multisensory, shared experiences. Sonic Sphere is the creation of artists Ed Cooke, Merijn Royaards, and Nicholas Christie, alongside the Sonic Sphere team. Multiple live and/or recorded sets will be offered each day including: Transformative listening sessions of complete recorded albums featuring new mixes of The xx’s essential, self-titled debut album and influential composer Steve Reich’s groundbreaking Music for 18 Musicians. Playlists by legendary Detroit techno artist, DJ, and producer Carl Craig, tracing a branch of electronic music’s family tree, including his music and songs by Algiers, King Britt, Francesco Mora Catlett, J Dilla, Pierre Henry, Derrick May, Jeff Mills, Moodymann, Sun Ra, Steve Reich, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Throbbing Gristle, and White Noise, and by hypnotic Brooklyn-based musician, singer, DJ, and producer Yaeji featuring her songs and musical influences, including Tristan Arp, Enayet, keiyaA, King Vision Ultra, Salamanda, Yu Su, TSVI, and K Wata Live performances by rising London-based singer-songwriter-producer yunè pinku with a DJ set on June 16; Jersey Club Queen DJ and producer UNIIQU3 on June 23 and 24; world-renowned pianist Igor Levit on June 30 and July 1 performing Morton Feldman’s “Palais de Mari” in collaboration with visual artist Rirkrit Tiravanija who is creating a visual counterpoint for Levit’s performances; and electronic music producer, drummer, artist, and activist Madame Gandhi on July 12 and 13. The Sonic Sphere team works through rapid iteration. Conceived in the tradition of German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Kugelauditorium, a nearly spherical concert hall built for the 1970 World Expo in Osaka, the sphere at The Shed is the 11th and most advanced sphere so far, after iterations of increasing size and technical sophistication, beginning at Chateau du Feÿ’s creative commune, and appearing since in London, Mexico, at Black Rock City, and in Miami. The artist curation for Sonic Sphere at The Shed is led by Alex Poots, Artistic Director. _______________ Subscribe for our latest videos: http://bit.ly/2Q2FYF7 Support the creation of new art at The Shed by becoming a member today: http://theshed.org/support _______________ ABOUT THE SHED The Shed is a new cultural institution of and for the 21st century. We produce and welcome innovative art and ideas, across all forms of creativity, to build a shared understanding of our rapidly changing world and a more equitable society. GET TICKETS: http://theshed.org _______________ FOLLOW Facebook: https://facebook.com/theshedny Instagram: https://instagram.com/theshedny Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheShedNY #SONICSPHERE #YAEJI #THEXX #CARLCRAIG #UNIIQU3 #MADAMEGANDHI #STEVEREICH #IGORLEVIT #RIRKRITTIRAVANIJA #Music #Art #TheShed

What community arises from collaboration? Hear from Fire Ensemble artistic director Troy Anthony on joining creative forces with resident artist adrienne maree brown and director Charlotte Brathwaite. _______________ A part of The Fire Ensemble’s mission is to expand the canon of musical works and productions that place community, ritual, and collective liberation at their center. By uplifting a resident artist each season, The Fire Ensemble provides the opportunity for choir community members to collaborate with generative artists for 10 weeks in workshopping a new project. Award-winning author and creator adrienne maree brown is The Fire Ensemble’s 2022 resident artist. She is creating a musical ritual, “To Feel A Thing: A Ritual for Emergence,” in collaboration with The Fire Ensemble’s artistic director, Troy Anthony, and directed by Charlotte Brathwaite. Featuring original music and text from brown, this new work acknowledges the spirit inside each of us that is a wild creature of Earth, along with the feelings that lead us to adapt for survival and to come together to care for our communities. Together with brown, and accompanied by a gospel band, The Fire Ensemble will bring this piece to life in a stripped-down workshop presentation. This developmental concert sharing of “To Feel A Thing: A Ritual For Emergence” is co-produced by The Shed, The Fire Ensemble, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival. “To Feel A Thing: A Ritual For Emergence” is a co-commission by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. _______________ Subscribe for our latest videos: http://bit.ly/2Q2FYF7 Support the creation of new art at The Shed by becoming a member today: http://theshed.org/support _______________ ABOUT THE SHED The Shed is a new cultural institution of and for the 21st century. We produce and welcome innovative art and ideas, across all forms of creativity, to build a shared understanding of our rapidly changing world and a more equitable society. GET TICKETS: http://theshed.org _______________ FOLLOW Facebook: https://facebook.com/theshedny Instagram: https://instagram.com/theshedny Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheShedNY #TheFireEnsemble #TroyAnthony #Chorus #Choir #CharlotteBrathwaite #AdrienneMareeBrown #Music #Artist #Theater #Theatre #TheShed

Brazilian artist Maxwell Alexandre takes a closer look at the details that make up the paintings from his ongoing series “Pardo é Papel” (2017 – ) that depict collective portraits celebrating the empowerment, self-esteem, and prosperity of Black people. Now on view at The Shed through January 8, 2023. _______________ In his first North American solo exhibition, Brazilian artist Maxwell Alexandre presents new and existing paintings from his ongoing series “Pardo é Papel” (2017 – ) that depict collective portraits celebrating the empowerment, self-esteem, and prosperity of Black people. ​​Suspended from the gallery ceiling, Alexandre’s large-scale paintings form pathways and intimate enclosures that surround visitors. They portray striking scenes of communal leisure interspersed with recurring religious and art historical imagery. Pop cultural symbols appear alongside these images, including depictions of Black cultural icons, like Beyoncé, Nina Simone, and Elza Soares, and commercial products from his childhood, such as popular plastic blue Capri pools, Danone yogurt, and the chocolate drink Toddynho. Since the first period of “Pardo é Papel,” “The Glorious Victory” (2017 –), to the most recent subseries, “New Power” (2019 –), Alexandre has painted Black people on brown kraft paper, commonly referred to in his native Portuguese as pardo. Though the main series title translates directly to “brown is paper” to reference the pardo paper itself, historically the term holds double significance as an ambiguous racial category in the Brazilian census. Activists argue that the category, based on the physical appearance of skin tones rather than ancestry, was designed to obscure Black identity within the Brazilian population by reducing the percentage of citizens who identified as Black. Instead, Alexandre uses pardo paper to affirm Black identity, representation, and empowerment. Many of the paintings in “The Glorious Victory” are tributes to Black musicians from Brazil and beyond. Alexandre draws his work closer to the influence of hip hop and Brazilian rap by referring to his series as albums, much as his musical collaborators, the rappers BK’, Djonga, and Baco Exu do Blues, refer to collections of their songs. The paintings commissioned for this exhibition from his “New Power” subseries center Black audiences contemplating art in museums and galleries to draw attention to the exclusionary dynamics at play in white, Western contemporary art spaces. This exhibition is organized by Alessandra Gómez, Associate Curator at Large, with exhibition management by Elizabeth Berridge, Associate Exhibitions Manager. VISIT THE EXHIBITION: https://theshed.org/program/251-maxwell-alexandre-pardo-e-papel-the-glorious-victory-and-new-power _______________ Subscribe for our latest videos: http://bit.ly/2Q2FYF7 Support the creation of new art at The Shed by becoming a member today: http://theshed.org/support _______________ ABOUT THE SHED The Shed is a new cultural institution of and for the 21st century. We produce and welcome innovative art and ideas, across all forms of creativity, to build a shared understanding of our rapidly changing world and a more equitable society. GET TICKETS: http://theshed.org _______________ FOLLOW Facebook: https://facebook.com/theshedny Instagram: https://instagram.com/theshedny Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheShedNY #MaxwellAlexandre #Painting #BlackArt #BrazilianArtist #Art #ContemporaryArt #Artist #TheShed

Playwright David Hare discusses Robert Moses, the man behind his play “Straight Line Crazy,” with Dan Doctoroff, founding board chair of The Shed and former NYC deputy mayor for economic development and rebuilding, moderated by architectural critic Paul Goldberger. _______________ Following an acclaimed run this spring at the Bridge Theatre in London, “Straight Line Crazy,” a new play by David Hare, will have its exclusive US engagement this fall at The Shed. Starring Ralph Fiennes as Robert Moses and directed by Nicholas Hytner and Jamie Armitage, the play delves into Moses’s questionable legacy and enduring impact on New York City. For 40 uninterrupted years, Moses was considered among the most powerful men in New York as he envisioned and built public works whose aftereffects determine how New Yorkers experience the city to this day. The play presents an imagined retelling of the arc of Moses’s controversial career in two decisive moments: his rise to power in the late 1920s and the public outcry against the corrosive effects of that power in the mid-1950s. Hare’s play exposes Moses’s iron will, which exploited weaknesses in the state and city governments as he worked to remake public space. Though never elected to political office, he manipulated those who were through a mix of guile, charm, and intimidation. Motivated at first by a determination to improve the lives of New York City’s working class, he created new parks, new bridges, and 627 miles of expressway to connect the people to the great outdoors. However, Moses often achieved these public works at the expense of disempowered New Yorkers, particularly people of color, living in the way of and near his projects. In the 1950s, groups of citizens began to organize against his schemes and the prioritization of cars over public transportation, campaigning for a very different idea of what a city should be. _______________ Subscribe for our latest videos: http://bit.ly/2Q2FYF7 Support the creation of new art at The Shed by becoming a member today: http://theshed.org/support _______________ ABOUT THE SHED The Shed is a new cultural institution of and for the 21st century. We produce and welcome innovative art and ideas, across all forms of creativity, to build a shared understanding of our rapidly changing world and a more equitable society. GET TICKETS: http://theshed.org _______________ FOLLOW Facebook: https://facebook.com/theshedny Instagram: https://instagram.com/theshedny Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheShedNY #StriaghtLineCrazy #DavidHare #DanDoctoroff #PaulGoldberger #RobertMoses #Theatre #Artist #TheShed

Hear from the creative team behind the new play “Straight Line Crazy” about the process of bringing Robert Moses to life, featuring Ralph Fiennes, Jamie Armitage, Nicholas Hytner, and David Hare, moderated by Madani Younis. _______________ Following an acclaimed run this spring at the Bridge Theatre in London, “Straight Line Crazy,” a new play by David Hare, will have its exclusive US engagement this fall at The Shed. Starring Ralph Fiennes as Robert Moses and directed by Nicholas Hytner and Jamie Armitage, the play delves into Moses’s questionable legacy and enduring impact on New York City. For 40 uninterrupted years, Moses was considered among the most powerful men in New York as he envisioned and built public works whose aftereffects determine how New Yorkers experience the city to this day. The play presents an imagined retelling of the arc of Moses’s controversial career in two decisive moments: his rise to power in the late 1920s and the public outcry against the corrosive effects of that power in the mid-1950s. Hare’s play exposes Moses’s iron will, which exploited weaknesses in the state and city governments as he worked to remake public space. Though never elected to political office, he manipulated those who were through a mix of guile, charm, and intimidation. Motivated at first by a determination to improve the lives of New York City’s working class, he created new parks, new bridges, and 627 miles of expressway to connect the people to the great outdoors. However, Moses often achieved these public works at the expense of disempowered New Yorkers, particularly people of color, living in the way of and near his projects. In the 1950s, groups of citizens began to organize against his schemes and the prioritization of cars over public transportation, campaigning for a very different idea of what a city should be. _______________ Subscribe for our latest videos: http://bit.ly/2Q2FYF7 Support the creation of new art at The Shed by becoming a member today: http://theshed.org/support _______________ ABOUT THE SHED The Shed is a new cultural institution of and for the 21st century. We produce and welcome innovative art and ideas, across all forms of creativity, to build a shared understanding of our rapidly changing world and a more equitable society. GET TICKETS: http://theshed.org _______________ FOLLOW Facebook: https://facebook.com/theshedny Instagram: https://instagram.com/theshedny Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheShedNY #StriaghtLineCrazy #RalphFiennes #DavidHare #RobertMoses #Theatre #Artist #TheShed

Brazilian artist Maxwell Alexandre presents new and existing paintings from his ongoing series “Pardo é Papel” (2017 – ) that depict collective portraits celebrating the empowerment, self-esteem, and prosperity of Black people. Now on view at The Shed through Jan 8, 2023. _______________ In his first North American solo exhibition, Brazilian artist Maxwell Alexandre presents new and existing paintings from his ongoing series “Pardo é Papel” (2017 – ) that depict collective portraits celebrating the empowerment, self-esteem, and prosperity of Black people. ​​Suspended from the gallery ceiling, Alexandre’s large-scale paintings form pathways and intimate enclosures that surround visitors. They portray striking scenes of communal leisure interspersed with recurring religious and art historical imagery. Pop cultural symbols appear alongside these images, including depictions of Black cultural icons, like Beyoncé, Nina Simone, and Elza Soares, and commercial products from his childhood, such as popular plastic blue Capri pools, Danone yogurt, and the chocolate drink Toddynho. Since the first period of “Pardo é Papel,” “The Glorious Victory” (2017 –), to the most recent subseries, “New Power” (2019 –), Alexandre has painted Black people on brown kraft paper, commonly referred to in his native Portuguese as pardo. Though the main series title translates directly to “brown is paper” to reference the pardo paper itself, historically the term holds double significance as an ambiguous racial category in the Brazilian census. Activists argue that the category, based on the physical appearance of skin tones rather than ancestry, was designed to obscure Black identity within the Brazilian population by reducing the percentage of citizens who identified as Black. Instead, Alexandre uses pardo paper to affirm Black identity, representation, and empowerment. Many of the paintings in “The Glorious Victory” are tributes to Black musicians from Brazil and beyond. Alexandre draws his work closer to the influence of hip hop and Brazilian rap by referring to his series as albums, much as his musical collaborators, the rappers BK’, Djonga, and Baco Exu do Blues, refer to collections of their songs. The paintings commissioned for this exhibition from his “New Power” subseries center Black audiences contemplating art in museums and galleries to draw attention to the exclusionary dynamics at play in white, Western contemporary art spaces. This exhibition is organized by Alessandra Gómez, Associate Curator at Large, with exhibition management by Elizabeth Berridge, Associate Exhibitions Manager. VISIT THE EXHIBITION: https://theshed.org/program/251-maxwell-alexandre-pardo-e-papel-the-glorious-victory-and-new-power _______________ Subscribe for our latest videos: http://bit.ly/2Q2FYF7 Support the creation of new art at The Shed by becoming a member today: http://theshed.org/support _______________ ABOUT THE SHED The Shed is a new cultural institution of and for the 21st century. We produce and welcome innovative art and ideas, across all forms of creativity, to build a shared understanding of our rapidly changing world and a more equitable society. GET TICKETS: http://theshed.org _______________ FOLLOW Facebook: https://facebook.com/theshedny Instagram: https://instagram.com/theshedny Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheShedNY