My Paradoxical Knives

October 31, 2017 — Due to visa processing delays stemming from current federal immigration policy, Ali Moini will not be able to enter the US for his performance on November 9th. To honor his absence, the set of My Paradoxical Knives will be installed in the EMPAC lobby on Nov. 9. Please join us at 7:30PM for a Skype conversation with Moini and collaborator Fred Rodriguez.

Drawing on Persian cultural tradition, Ali Moini's My Paradoxical Knives includes poetry by the 13th-century Sufi poet Rumi and movements reminiscent of the Sufi whirling dervish. Diverging from this tradition, Moini performs in a costume made of straps that connect metal knives to his body like appendages or prostheses. As Moini spins and sings, the knives ascend and point toward the audience as if to ask: What happens when poems are cut loose and become dangerous? What is a safe distance between the audience and the performer? How close can you get to someone who comes from a different culture?

Dialogue and reception with collaborator Frederick Rodriguez and curator Ashley Ferro-Murray.