News and Events
CONFERENCE of the BIRDS
2016-07-05
CONFERENCE of the BIRDS
at the AGA KHAN MUSEUM
77 WYNFORD DRIVE
TORONTO, ON M3C 1K1
SUNDAY JULY 17, 2016
TWO PERFORMANCES:
12:30 PM- Aga Khan Museum- Bellerive Room
2:00PM- Institute of Ismaili Studies( next door to Museum)-Atrium Lounge
Storyteller Ariel Balevi is pleased to present two performances of the first part of the 12th century Sufi epic composed by the great classical Persian poet Farid-ad Attar from Nishapur (birthplace of Omar Khayyam).
These performances are offered as part of the "Festival of Flight" as well as in conjunction with the current exhibition of "Marvelous Creatures: Animals in Islamic Art". The first part of the epic recounts in spiritual allegory a conversation among birds, in which the hoopoe tries to persuade the others to undertake a perilous journey to the end of the world to seek Simorgh, the legendary King of the Birds . For further details see below.
Conference of the Birds- A Conversation Among Birds The Sufi verse epic of the 12th century poet Farid-ad Din Attar unfolds an allegory of spiritual pursuit in the telling of a story of a group of birds following the hoopoe on a journey in search of the mythical King of the Birds, Simorgh. The first part ( A Conversation Among Birds) enacts a series of dialogues the hoopoe bird has with a nightingale, a parrot, a peacock, a falcon, a partridge, an owl and a sparrow. The hoopoe calls them to engage in this journey. Each however offers an excuse for not undertaking the journey. The hoopoe replies to each excuse with a story which offers them the opportunity to reflect on the true nature of their fears and doubts.
Ariel Balevi is a storyteller whose repertoire derives from the literary and folklore traditions of Iran, Turkey, and Central Asia, including Firdowsi’s Book of Kings (Shahnameh), Attar’s Conference of the Birds (Manteq o Tayir), Nizami’s Seven Pavilions of Love (Haft Paykar), and Rumi’s Masnavi. Ariel performs these stories in English, using verse or proverb from the language of origin of the story. In his performances Ariel strives to present the universality of these narratives, unfamiliar to some audiences, and in doing so bring about mutual respect and understanding among different cultures and traditions.