Miami, May 11, 2021 – Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Live Arts Miami continues its successful LALA Performance Series, featuring unforgettable new works addressing climate change and sustainability with Oil Ancestors: Metaphysical Hotline, a remarkable, participatory experience via telephone by Miami-based interdisciplinary artist and 2020/2021 LALA Artists In Residence Fereshteh Toosi.
Inspired by the work of Buddhist eco-philosopher and author, Joanna Macy, Metaphysical Hotline blurs the line between reality and fiction, fostering a sense of community and trust, all while illuminating the complex relationship between humanity’s past, present, and future. It will encourage callers to remember their history as ancestors – both heroic and harrowing – while considering how our personal stories contribute to the larger narrative around climate crisis.
Delivered as a 30–40-minute, one-on-one phone call, Metaphysical Hotline is described as “interactive audio time-travel” which “seeks curious, open-minded callers for live and intimate conversations, with an expert ancestral communications medium, about power and responsibility in an era of rapid global change.”
Given the intimate and immersive nature of the performance, participation is limited to 24 one-on-one performances scheduled from 4 to 8 PM (EDT) on select dates between Wednesday, June 9 and Sunday, June 20.
To be considered for participation, interested individuals must apply by May 23, 2021 at 11:59 PM (EDT) by completing a pre-performance questionnaire–the first step into the mesmerizing world created by this powerful and deeply-affecting performance. Participants will be chosen by lottery and will receive a text message with an invitation to confirm their appointment time. Any individual 15 years or older is invited and encouraged to apply. All application responses will serve to expand a “Metaphysical Hotline research archive” devoted to the ongoing investigation of at-home ancestral transmissions.
The LALA Performance Series is the capstone to Live Arts Miami’s Live Arts Lab Alliance Artist (LALA) residency program, which empowers local performing artists from different backgrounds and disciplines to generate new work and establish new connections and networks of creative feedback and collaboration. To learn more about the cohort, click here.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Fereshteh Toosi is an artist of Iranian and Azeri ancestry whose projects foster animistic connections through encounter, exchange, and sensory inquiry. Fereshteh designs experiences augmented by handmade electronics, audio, video, and media transmissions. These intimate live art events often take place outdoors in gardens, parks, and waterways. The immersive performances are produced in conjunction with small sculptures, short films, installations, scores, and poetry. Fereshteh is an Assistant Professor in the Art and Art History Department of the College of Communication, Architecture, and the Arts at Florida International University. They earned The Ellies Creator Award in 2018 for Water Radio, a series of live art events during canoe and kayak outings. Recently Fereshteh also received a Knight New Work 2020 award to support Oil Ancestors. http://fereshteh.net.
WHAT: LALA Performance Series featuring Fereshteh Toosi Oil Ancestors: Metaphysical Hotline
WHEN: Pre-performance questionnaire due: Sun. May 23 at 11:59 PM
Show Dates:
Weds. June 9, Thurs. June 10 and Fri. June 11 → 6:00 PM and 8:00 PM (EDT)
Sat. June 12 and Sun. 13 → 4 PM, 6 PM, and 8 PM (EDT)
Weds. June 16, Thurs. June 17 and Fri. June 18 → 6 PM and 8 PM (EDT)
Sat. June 19 and Sun. June 20 → 4 PM, 6 PM, and 8 PM (EDT)
WHERE: Remote performance, via telephone.
TICKETS: This is a FREE event. RSVP and pre-performance questionnaire required.
Apply at www.liveartsmiami.org.
FOR PHOTOS AND VIDEOS: Click HERE
ABOUT LIVE ARTS MIAMI
Live Arts Miami is one of the city’s oldest and boldest performing arts series: an action-driven, people-centered platform for powerful performances, impactful community programs, and learning experiences that spark dialogue, raise awareness around pressing issues, and open minds and hearts in all who take part. For more information, please visit liveartsmiami.org and follow @liveartsmiami on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for the latest updates.
The programs of Live Arts Miami are funded by Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council; the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners; the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture; the National Endowment for the Arts; National Performance Network (NPN); the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. MDC Live Arts is a Partner of the National Performance Network (NPN). Major NPN contributors include the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Ford Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Live Arts Miami Media Contact: Lisa Palley, 305-642-3132, lpalley@bellsouth.net