Trina Basu & Smita Sen: Rituals of Sacred Surrender
Music by Trina Basu & choreography by Smita Sen
Join us in the Grand Lobby at Central Library where multi-disciplinary exhibiting artist Smita Sen and musician Trina Basu perform Rituals of Sacred Surrender. Here, sweeping music and dance activate Sen’s sculptural installation, The Manipura Sanctum, on view through April 23rd, 2022.
ABOUT
Surrender is an act of yielding to the power of another; of relinquishing oneself fully and completely. At its most beautiful and most turbulent, palliative care is an act of surrender for both the patient and the caregiver. Negotiating the competing qualities of this sacred bond, of this sacred surrender between caregiver and patient, artist Smita Sen and violinist Trina Basu co-create an evening-length performance to honor the complexities of palliative caregiving. In developing this work, Sen and Basu draw from their respective experiences; Sen from her experience as a palliative caregiver, and Basu from her work as a music therapist. Weaving together Indian classical music, creative improvisation, and movement frameworks engaging breath, contraction, and release, Sen and Basu offer a performance rooted in surrendering to the affection, fear, hope, and endurance of palliative care.
About the Artists
Trina Basu is a violinist, improvisor, composer and educator based in New York City. Her initial training in Western Classical violin set a foundation for her later studies in Indian Classical music, jazz improvisation and folk styles. In New York City, Basu co-leads Karavika, a chamber ensemble drawing from South Asian classical and folk music, and has a duo project with violinist Arun Ramamurthy that works within frameworks of Carnatic ragas, creative improvisation and western counterpoint through original co-written music. Her ensemble Karavika has two self released albums, having been praised by All About Jazz as "a dynamic sonic blend of uncommon mesmeric beauty". Basu frequently collaborates with dancers, poets and visual artists in various multidisciplinary projects. She has performed on stages with esteemed artists such as Mos Def, Urban Bush Women, Gil Scott Heron, Ed Sheeran, Ledisi, Taylor Mac and Reggie Workman.
Smita Sen is an artist working with sculpture, dance-based performance, and advanced technology to research how the body internalizes its environment and significant life events. With installations, Sen attempts to reimagine sites of care and creates environments for the body to enter states of meditative healing. Currently on view at BPL, Sen’s work has been shown at venues including Bard College, Flux Factory, Anthology Film Archives, the Knockdown Center, and ISSUE Project Room. Sen is a graduate of Columbia University.
Smita Sen: The Manipura Sanctum and this exhibition program are presented in partnership with Recess. Rituals of Sacred Surrender was first performed and developed at Recess (Brooklyn, NY) in 2021.
