Culture Night Belfast was relaunched after a six year gap, so we felt we had to do something creatively super special to celebrate its return.

On 19th September at Black Box
Beyond Skin presents

An interpretation performance of the Orb's electronic soundscape

"A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules from the Centre of the Ultraworld"

18 minute performance with DJ, Live Band, Choir, Bell Ringers, Poet, Whirling Dervishes, a Cockerel.

#CNB25  #OneNightForAll

Electronic music composer Alex Thompson, musician and founder of Beyond Skin, Darren Ferguson will bring together an eclectic group of musicians, poets, whirling dancers, meditation practitioners, a choir and bell ringers to perform an interpretation of The Orb’s 1989 soundscape 'A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules from the Centre of the Ultraworld'
The 18-minute performance will feature some vocals and sounds that were sampled on the original track played live. This includes Northern Irish singer and songwriter Claire-Louise McBride singing “Loving You” by Minnie Riperton and the VOYPIC NEW2NI Culture Night Choir singing the sample taken from “Slave to the Rhythm” by Grace Jones conducted by Amanda St. John. The choir has been specially curated for the performance by the organisation VOYPIC that supports young people in care.

Providing the rhythm to the electronic melodies played on synthesisers by Alex and Darren are percussion maestros Henrique Franco (Brazil) and Slawomir Cichy (Poland). On bass guitar Jan Uhrin (Slovakia).
The participatory element of the performance will also invite members of the audience to participate on hand bells.

Special guests flying in for the event, complimenting the music with poetry, movement and whirling dance are Meala Amin, Mursal Kharoti, Anna Rüya Ayyildiz.

Joining virtually on a video screen broadcasting from France, Fahima Mirzaei. Fahima was the only female whirling dancer in Afghanistan and was due to kick off her biggest tour around the country in 2021. Then the Taliban took over. And she had to escape. BBC Documentary

Maela Amin is a visionary artist and art psychotherapist whose work lives at the intersection of creativity, healing, and cultural reclamation. Rooted in embodied and decolonising practice, she reimagines art therapy beyond rigid structures, opening it as a living ceremony, an invitation into the language of the soul. Now liiving in England Meala was born in Northern Ireland to a Pakistani Muslim family. She draws on lineage, mysticism, and her own journeys of belonging to return art to its essence as ceremony.

Mursal Kharoti is an Afghan/British peacebuilder and published poet, with experience in humanitarian diplomacy. Drawing on her background in political communications, psychology and NGO consultancy, she brings a compassionate and strategic approach to community empowerment.  She facilitates art and creative writing workshops as a medium for regional dialogue and individual healing.

Anna Rüya, a captivating whirling dancer, who was born in London to an Irish mother and an Anatolian Alevi father. Her diverse cultural background seamlessly weaves into the rich tapestry of her artistry. With a lifelong inquiry into dance, she found herself drawn to the mesmerising and spiritual practice of spinning. She delved into the intricacies of whirling through the exploration of her ancestry roots.
Her lifework is not just showcases of skill and technique but profound explorations of the whirling dance's spiritual essence. Prepare to be transported into a realm where dance becomes a language that speaks to the spirit, a meditation that resonates with the soul, and a healing force that transcends the boundaries of time and culture.
“When you read through the elements of this production you can’t help but smile. There is some creative playful humour in the spirit of culture night, but when you delve in you find something beautiful and deeper. A healing, connectivity, a breath of release for our human spirit. Bringing all these amazing people together in one space will also plant seeds for future collaborations, and that is truly exciting.” Darren Ferguson

#CNB25  #OneNightForAll