Concert From Bangladesh is a mixed reality music concert that uses cutting-edge technology to take the audience on a virtual audiovisual journey through the past and present of Bangladesh, which encompasses mystical singers from Baul of rural Kushtia, experimental electronics and hip hop from the streets of Dhaka
The mixed reality music concert, Concert From Bangladesh, which extends the 50-year legacy of Concert For Bangladesh, will begin on August 1st. The original charity concert initiated by Ravi Shankar and George Harrison, of Beatles fame, was organized to help the relief effort. and the refugee crisis during the 1971 war of liberation.
Concert From Bangladesh is an innovative digital collaboration between UBIK Productions (London) and Samdani Art Foundation (Dhaka) with the support of the British Council Digital Collaboration Fund. Organizations have commissioned acclaimed British-South Asian artist Shezad Dawood to create a virtual reality stage for the concert, which will premiere on August 1, 2021 via the Pioneer Works website ( New York).
Curated by Diana Campbell, artistic director of the Samdani Art Foundation (SAF), with Dhaka-born music producer and artist Enayet Kabir, along with assistant curators Ruxmini Choudhury and Shoummo Saha, Concert From Bangladesh will showcase a wealth of talent Traditions Bangladeshi musicals, from Baul’s mystical singing to Dhaka’s socially engaged experimental electronics and hip hop, as well as raising funds for Bangladeshi climate change and human rights charity Friendship.
Also read: Dhaka Art Summit: Bangladeshi masters are on display
The concept was developed by Campbell along with several collaborators, including Dawood. In the words of SAF founder Nadia Samdani: “As Bangladesh celebrates 50 years of independence, we are delighted to be part of a production that will allow the world to hear the musical and cultural richness that lies in our country and reconsider- the role that music and art can play in bringing people together to fight for a better and more egalitarian future. ”
Miranda Sharp, Director of Productions at UBIK, said: “We are delighted to work with SAF and Shezad Dawood on this multidisciplinary transnational project that pushes the boundaries of art and music production and develops new collaborative workflows. digital “.
Concert From Bangladesh will be released live via the Pioneer Works online platform on August 1, accompanied by live events at Yorkshire Sculpture Park (Wakefield) as part of Yorkshire Sculpture International and Pioneer Works (New York ), 50 years after the original concert. Additional events will be held with the Chisenhale Gallery (London), the Leeds City Varieties Music Hall (Leeds) and the Srihatta Samdani Art and Sculpture Center (Sylhet). These institutions are located in significant diasporic or rural areas of Bangladesh and will decentralize and democratize the scope of the project, expanding the experience to various Bangladeshi and international communities.
The concert will take viewers on an expansive sound journey spanning six centuries, beginning with renowned Baul singer Arif Baul, accompanied by instrumental virtuosos Nazrul Islam, Saidur Rahman and Sohel. Next up will be a piece composed by Enayet and Nishit Dey that explores the musical language shared between Nazrul sangeet, classical raga and jungle of the 90s, mixing avant-garde electronic production and arrangements by Enayet, Provhat Rahman and Adittya Arzu also known as Siaminium , with classic raga. and the voice of Nazrul sangeet by Meerashri Arshee and Moumita Haque, the Bansuri flute by Jawaad Mustakim Al Muballig and the sitar performance by Nishit Dey. The concert will end with Bangladeshi hip hop duo Tabib Mahmud and 12-year-old Gully Boy Rana, whose lyrics participate socially highlight some of the pressing issues for which the Concert aims to raise funds.
Shot against a green screen by a Bangladeshi team in Dhaka, Concert From Bangladesh will feature musicians performing against changing virtual stages that will immerse the audience in the vibrant streets of Dhaka and transport them to the banks of the Gorai Kushtia River through ecosystems. of mangroves and Somapura Mahavihara, one of the best known monasteries in the Indian subcontinent built in the 8th century, culminating in a performance at the iconic Beauty Boarding, a historically vibrant literary center in Dhaka and a meeting place for intellectuals until in our day.
The performances will be interspersed with archival and contemporary documentary images and the concert will be amplified with augmented reality resources, including a free filter activated via the audience’s phones and laptops, which will bring 3D objects from the screen to the immediate environment of the spectators. The graphic identity of the Concert is developed by the collaborator of the Art Samdani Foundation, Fraser Muggeridge Studio. Concert From Bangladesh will revisit the history of solidarity integrated into the historic Concert For Bangladesh: An album of ethically produced concerts and merchandise will be made available through Pioneer Works ’online streaming platform. All proceeds will be distributed equitably among the musicians performing and the Bangladeshi charity Friendship (run by fellow Ashoka and Schwab Foundation social entrepreneur Runa Khan), which provides health care to climate change refugees. and promotes women’s rights in Bangladesh.
Musicians and performers:
Adittya Arzu aka Siaminium (electronics and recording engineer)
Meerashri Arshee (vocalist of Classical Raga)
Arif Baul (vocalist and composer of Baul)
Nishit Dey (composer, performer of Sitar and Tabla)
Enayet (Producer, Electronics, Composer)
Moumita Haque (vocalist of Nazrul sangeet)
Nazrul Islam (Dhol player)
Gully Boy Rana and Tabib Mahmud (hip hop artists)
Jawaad Mustakim Al Muballig (flutist of Bansuri)
Provhat Rahman (electronics)
Saidur Rahman (Harmonium player)
Shoummo Saha (audio producer)
Sohel (percussionist)
Bangladesh concert on tour:
(Other tour dates will be announced soon)
August 1, 2021, 6pm in Dhaka, 6pm in London, 6pm in New York: real-time broadcast in three time zones at pioneerworks.org/programs/concert-from-bangladesh
August 1, 2021, entry from 7:15 p.m., screening at 9:15 p.m. – Yorkshire Sculpture Park (Wakefield): Outdoor screening of Concert From Bangladesh and associated sculpture tours at the venue in English and Sylheit, in collaboration with artist Thahmina Beg um Book via: https://ysp.org.uk/events/shezad-dawood-concert-from-bangladesh-an-open-airfilm-screening
August 8, 2021 – Pioneer Works (New York): Screening of Concert From Bangladesh as part of the Second Sunday event series, involving the disciplines of Pioneer Works through live music, food, open studios ‘artists and interactive programs.
August 31, 2021, 1pm – In the Neighborhood (London): Concert From Bangladesh Outdoor Screening – https://www.allpointseastfestival.com/nbhd/
September 16, 2021, 7pm – Leeds City Varieties Music Hall (Leeds): Yorkshire Sculpture International screening in collaboration with Hyde Park Picture House’s On the Road program followed by a talk with Shezad Dawood.