Photo by Kevin Kenkel
Indra’s Net (In Progress)
Following On Behalf of Nature (2013), a plea for ecological awareness, and Cellular Songs (2018), which turned attention to the fabric of life itself, Indra’s Net is Meredith Monk’s third work in a trilogy dedicated to our relationship with the natural world. Initially set to premiere in November 2020 and both delayed and informed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Indra’s Net premiered in June 2023 at the Holland Festival in Amsterdam. The work is a contemplative offering to the world in which we now find ourselves, embodying the principle of interconnectedness through music and performance.
The work is inspired by the ancient Buddhist/Hindu legend of Indra’s Net, which tells of an enlightened king, Indra, who stretches a large net across the universe with an infinitely faceted jewel placed at each intersection. Each jewel is wholly unique yet reflects all the others, illuminating the interdependence of all living things—a particularly apt metaphor for our current times. Conceived of as an installation performance work, Indra’s Net features a 15-member chamber orchestra drawn from local instrumentalists along with nine members of Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble. The performers will spread throughout the space in different configurations for the audience to encounter against a backdrop of video projections for a fully immersive experience.
“Rotation,” an installation / audio-visual component of Indra’s Net, is also available as a companion piece for Indra’s Net: Concert Version.
Conceived, directed and composed by Meredith Monk
Performers: Paul An, Theo Bleckmann, Gideon Crevoshay, Allison Easter, Ellen Fisher, Katie Geissinger, Meredith Monk, Allison Sniffin, John Hollenbeck with 15-member chamber orchestra
Music Meredith Monk
Costume and Scenic Design Yoshio Yabara
Lighting Design Joe Levasseur
Sound Design Daniel Neumann
Music Direction / Score Preparation Allison Sniffin
Orchestration Allison Sniffin / Meredith Monk
Stage Manager Meredith Belis
Cinematography Ben Stechschulte
Costume Associate Delia Cadman
Developed in collaboration with Tariq Al-Sabir, Paul An, Theo Bleckmann, Gideon Crevoshay, Allison Easter, Ellen Fisher, Katie Geissinger, John Hollenbeck, Paul Langland, and Allison Sniffin.
Indra’s Net premiered at the Holland Festival in Amsterdam in June 2023 with funding from Hewlett 50 Arts Commissions, Hartwig Art Foundation, and Haus der Kunst. It was workshopped at Mills College in Fall 2018 and in 2019, at ArtLab at Harvard University in Spring 2020, and at Queenslab in 2021. Indra’s Net was co-commissioned by Mills College.
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
“Within the magical world of creator Meredith Monk, language and music and movement all flow seamlessly into one another. Harmonies and nonsense syllables, emotions and physical gestures — these are fungible commodities in her artistic economy, each one capable of inspiring a mixture of reverance and joy.”
-Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
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 National Endowment for the Arts, ArtLab at Harvard University, Queenslab in Ridgewood, Queens, as well as the Indra’s Net Producers Circle: Haruno Arai, Ron Chernow, Joan Gelb, Katherine Goodale, Agnes Gund, Gregory Hwee, Alex Katz Foundation, Selma Landen Odom, Dorothy Lichtenstein, James E. Robison Foundation, Inc., Severn Taylor, and the Walcott Family Fund.