Using ancient texts from Islamic and Hindu traditions, 5 Streams is internationally acclaimed director & choreographer Ibrahim Quraishi´s personal rumination on a world torn apart by conflicts and brought together by shared histories and identities.
Explosive sounds, vocals, intense khatak- inspired sequences, video streaming and live percussion combine to create a hypnotic performance where dancers appear as installation: space transforms into a living architectural symbol, video projection immersed in color shapes and abstraction of geometry. Sound trembles through the body before it is heard and the audience is invited to wander and meditate in an interactive installation of a synthetic forest with each its own interactive sonic mix: this cross media performance / installation includes an extraordinary international team of artists.
5 Streams was commissioned by Asia Society, New York in association with MASS MoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art)
The piece weaves interlocking narratives drawn from three canonical works of both Hindu and Indo Muslim/Persian/Arbo-Andolusian Traditions: Anarkali, a tragic court romance of Mughal India; the Bhagavad-Gita, the deeply philosophical climax of the Indian epic Mahabharata; and Risale-t-ul-wujudiyyah, a mystical treatise by the great Twelfth-century Sufi philosopher, Ibn al-Arabi. 5 Streams draws inspiration from seemingly counter punctual realities to explore the binary oppositions and the permeability of borders between them.