Soundbath with Dawoud

Spiral Music presents acoustic music every Wednesday evening at the base of the Museum’s spiral staircase. Artists who specialize in music from the Himalayas and South Asia are invited to forge a connection between their music and the art in the galleries.

About the Musician

Composer and improviser Dawoud has performed at the Rubin on many occasions, either in a duet for the Spiral Music series or with larger groups such as the Brooklyn Raga Massive All Stars. These performances have included improvisations on his compositions, Indian ragas, and themes both contemporary and ancient.

Now, Dawoud is going to do something a little different.

The immersive, site-specific installation Le Corps Sonore, created by electronic sound artists Éliane Radigue, Laetitia Sonami, and Bob Bielecki, is featured at the Spiral staircase in the Rubin as part of The World Is Sound exhibition. On August 2 and August 23 (both Wednesday nights), Dawoud will offer an unprecedented musical performance in conjunction with the exhibit.

Dawoud developed a special tuning for his dilruba and prepared 12-string acoustic guitar, including specially constructed scales and modalities that employ the ambient sounds of Le Corps Sonore as a catalyst for musical improvisation. The frequencies and tunings are designed to produce a variety of psychoactive effects.

Come and experience this unique musical event.

The World is Sound is made possible through the generosity of HARMAN. Major support is provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and Rasika and Girish Reddy. The Rubin also thanks Preethi Krishna and Ram Sundaram and contributors to the 2017 Exhibitions Fund.