Night in the Garden
2024, HD Video, 01:01:45
On November 10, 2023, artist Shezad Dawood joined forces with Adam Rudolph, Ralph Miles Jones, and Alexis Marcelo: three former long-time collaborators of one of the most prolific musicians of the 20th century, Yusef Lateef. Sharing deep insights into the creative process Lateef called autophysiopsychic (music coming from the mental, physical, and spiritual self), the musicians interpreted a special banner painted by Dawood as a musical score. The hour-long autophysiopsychic musical experience titled Night in the Garden was held in the Aga Khan Museum’s Nanji Family Auditorium.
Presented in seven movements, Night in the Garden performance and lighting transported the audience into a dawn-to-dusk experience; leading through the imagined garden, stopping along the way to reflect on the radiance of love. Prototypical sounds of spontaneous composition were heard as the musicians dialogued with one another, responding to the feelings that radiated from the audience. Performing as the fourth member of the quartet, Dawood blended sound and colour to create a truly multisensory experience.
Director
Shezad Dawood
Percussion and electronics
Adam Rudolph
Piano and keyboards
Alexis Marcelo
Woodwinds
Ralph Miles Jones
Lighting and painted banner (graphic score)
Shezad Dawood
Executive producer
Craig Colby
Producer
Miranda Sharp
Camera operators
Mark Foerster, Brian Marleau and Alnasir Jamal
Sound recordist
Jason Porter
Audio production
James Dellatacoma and Adam Rudolph
Edited by
Sergio Vega Borrego and Caterina Monzani
Graded by
Jason Moffat
Production coordinators
Mason Sisson and Marin Stemmelen
Film & performance produced by
UBIK Productions
Comissioned by
Aga Khan Museum, Toronto
Exhibited at
Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, 2023