Night in the Garden

2024, HD Video, 01:01:45

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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