Photo by Kevin Kenkel
Indra’s Net (2023)
Indra’s Net is the third work in a trilogy exploring our relationship with the natural world, following On Behalf of Nature (2013) and Cellular Songs (2018). An immersive installation performance work, it was inspired by a parable that illustrates life’s interconnectedness.
In the ancient Buddhist/Hindu legend of Indra’s Net, an enlightened king, Indra, stretches a large net across the universe with an infinitely faceted jewel placed at each intersection. Each jewel is unique yet reflects all the others, illuminating the interdependence of all living things. Together with members of her Vocal Ensemble, a sixteen-piece chamber orchestra, and additional eight-member chorus, Meredith Monk offers an interplay of music, movement, and architecture embodying celestial, earthly, and human realms through sound, video, and performance. Copresented with Hartwig Art Foundation, Indra’s Net premiered at the Holland Festival in Amsterdam in June 2023, and will receive its North American premiere in September 2024 at Park Avenue Armory in New York.
“In a world that is so fragmented and full of sorrow, I want to create work that affirms life and our sense of connection to each other and all living beings.” — Meredith Monk
Conceived, directed and composed by Meredith Monk
Performers: Paul Chwe MinChul An, Theo Bleckmann, Gideon Crevoshay, Allison Easter, Ellen Fisher, Katie Geissinger, Meredith Monk, Allison Sniffin, John Hollenbeck with chamber orchestra and chorus
Music Meredith Monk
Costume and Scenic Design Yoshio Yabara
Lighting Design Joe Levasseur
Associate Lighting Design Dan Stearns
Sound Design Daniel Neumann
Video Scenarios/Direction Meredith Monk
Cinematography Ben Stechschulte
Projection Design Jorge Morales Picó
Music Direction / Score Preparation Allison Sniffin
Orchestration Allison Sniffin / Meredith Monk
Developed in collaboration with: Tariq Al-Sabir, Paul Chwe MinChul An, Theo Bleckmann, Gideon Crevoshay, Allison Easter, Ellen Fisher, Katie Geissinger, John Hollenbeck, Paul Langland, Allison Sniffin, and Yoshio Yabara.
INSTALLATIONS:
Rotation and Offering Shrine are two audio visual installations integral to performances of Indra’s Net.
Indra’s Net: Concert Version for proscenium stage premiered in November 2021 at Mills College and is also available for touring.
For bookings, contact: Sarah Lerner, Executive Director
“Indra’s Net [is] a testament to the enduring power of one of our most humane artists … a sui generis American master.” —The New York Times
“Indra’s Net is a joyful celebration of togetherness, with voices that seem to be able to do anything.” — de Volkskrant
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Indra’s Net was workshopped at Mills College in Fall 2018 and in 2019 and at ArtLab at Harvard University in Spring 2020, at Queenslab in 2021, and at MASS MoCA in 2024.
Indra’s Net was commissioned by Mills College with funding from a Hewlett 50 Arts Commission, Hartwig Art Foundation, and Haus der Kunst.
Indra’s Net is also made possible through the generous support of The Harkness Foundation for Dance, the National Endowment for the Arts, ArtLab at Harvard University, Queenslab in Ridgewood, Queens, and MASS MoCA, as well as the Indra’s Net Producers Circle: Haruno Arai, Theodore Bale, Ron Chernow, Paula Cooper, Joan Gelb, Katherine Goodale, Agnes Gund, Jim Hodges, Gregory Hwee, Alex Katz Foundation, Selma Landen Odom, Dorothy Lichtenstein, James E. Robinson Foundation, Inc., Severn Taylor, and The Walcott Family Fund.