Fall Gathering

Winter is coming… but before it comes the fall. With an autumnal-themed gathering we brought people back indoors after a long summer with an amazing range of performances, including:

New Hampshire in the Fall: New York Times published author Alessandra Francesca crafted her own autumnal scent in chilled jars, to accompany a stunning piece of writing on the smell of fall in New Hampshire and the nostalgia of returning home to family and childhood memories after many years.

An Indian Autumn: Autumn doesn’t really exist in India in the same way we understand it in Europe, but Alisha, a PhD student, writer and Indian classical singer, cooked up a delicious taste of Indian cuisine typical of the time of year and served it alongside a live performance of Chandni Raatein sung in Hindi and Urdu. 

The Fall: A piece of mime and spoken word theatre created by Crossmodalist committee members, Ned Stranger and Anya Vero, combining costumes and masks designed by Anya, a short story by Ned and the title music to the 2006 film The Fall (the Allegretto 2nd movement of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony). 

Autumn Kiss Spirit: Performance artist Katharina Höppel sat in the centre of a giant circle dressed as a red Autumn Kiss Spirit. She invited members of the audience to come and sit before her, tell her what part of them needed healing, and present a part of their body to receive a healing kiss.

Falling Leaves, a yoga flow: Germany-based yoga teacher and biologist Luisa Lehmann led the group in an Autumnal yoga flow mirroring trees in relinquishing their foliage, following a mini-talk on the science of falling leaves.

3 Songs Of Autumn by WirrSing: Viennese a capella singing group WirrSing performed three improvised autumnal pieces, including a reimagining of the jazz classic Autumn Leaves and a song based on words written by the audience capturing their feelings about the whoel gathering and the opposites of those words.

We closed the gathering with a full audience circle massage, where every participant both gave and received a massage, responding to the movements and changes of the rest of the circle to a musical soundtrack crafted by Alexander Grunsteidl, creator of Sensesthesia.