Shoja Azari, Sussan Deyhim, Ghasem Ebrahimian & Shirin Neshat: Logic of the Birds
6 - 10 November 2002
Union Chapel, London N1
Sussan Deyhim in a film still from Logic of the Birds
A mesmerising synthesis of live performance and multiple projection intercut seamlessly from stage to screen, Logic of the Birds was inspired by Persian poet and mystic Farid al-Din Attar’s 12th century masterpiece The Conference of The Birds. An epic affirmation that true enlightenment comes from within, Attar's tale tells the story of a flock of birds on a quest for meaning: a journey of hardship undertaken across seven dangerous valleys in search of their leader, the Simorgh.
The group that came together to present Logic of the Birds had worked on several occasions with the artist Shirin Nesha, in the creation of the cinematic installations that have given her such a dedicated international following. Here they came together in a different way, allowing their diverse skills to meet afresh as equals.
Within a specially created environment animating the gothic interior of Islington’s Union Chapel, the remarkable live presence of Sussan Deyhim led a silent chorus of men and women - moving deftly between media - in a delicate alchemy of image, action, sound and space. The hour-long performance was the central part of the 2002 Intimations of Immortality festival in London, previously performed that year in New York and Minneapolis.
Logic of the Birds was commissioned by Artangel along with Change Performing Arts, The Kitchen, Walker Art Center, and RLG Productions in the United States. The performance was made possible with support from the Rockefeller Foundation Multi-Arts Production Fund, and with public funds from the New York State Council for the Arts. Additional support was provided by the National Endowment for the Arts for a partnership between The Kitchen and MASS MoCA, as well as The Peter Norton Family Foundation, The Roy and Niuta Titus Foundation, The Soudavar Memorial Foundation and individual contributors. Logic of the Birds is also a sponsored project of the New York Foundation for the Arts.
This project was supported by Arts Council England, Special Angels and The Company of Angels
