Damask Rose: A Gathering

Created by: Bahar Behbahani
Weaving team: Shamsy Behbahani, Pooran Shams, Fazilat Hakimzadeh, Mehrnoush Jelveh, Irandokht Farjad, Shahin Mazid-Abadi, Abbas & Nikoo Afshar
Run time: 4 hours (audiences may come and go throughout the performance)

Damask Rose: A Gath­er­ing is a spring cel­e­bra­tion inspired by the tra­di­tions of Per­sian Gar­dens. The work cen­ters Damask Rose, an immi­grant flo­ra from the East, and hon­ors migra­tion and hos­pi­tal­i­ty. Guid­ed by con­cep­tu­al ideas of shade, wind, immi­grant flo­ra, and dias­poric eco­log­i­cal and ances­tral knowl­edge, this performance/​installation brings togeth­er non­prof­it orga­ni­za­tions, food and drink sto­ry­tellers, herbal­ists, tea prac­ti­tion­ers, musi­cians, and many oth­er like-mind­ed com­mu­ni­ties and part­ners to share a moment of joy and resilience.

• May 16, 1PM
• Rain date: May 17

Liggett Ter­race, Gov­er­nors Island

Bahar Behba­hani is an artist, edu­ca­tor, and col­lab­o­ra­tor whose inter­dis­ci­pli­nary work explores mem­o­ry, era­sure, adap­ta­tion, and the search for a sense of place. For over a decade, the Per­sian gar­den has served as a cen­tral metaphor in her prac­tice — bridg­ing per­son­al his­to­ry with wider his­to­ries of pow­er, cli­mate, and the futu­ri­ty of ances­tral knowl­edge. Her recent projects include a pub­lic com­mis­sion for the 2024 Cre­ative Time Sum­mit and par­tic­i­pa­tion in the Shar­jah Bien­ni­al 15, among oth­ers. She has received awards from Cre­ative Cap­i­tal, the Joan Mitchell Foun­da­tion, and the Pol­lock-Kras­ner Foun­da­tion Grant. A trans­plant from the land of sun, she has adapt­ed New York as her home, where she teach­es at CUNY and cre­ates space for ques­tion­ing dom­i­nant nar­ra­tives through art and dialogue.

• Program partners: ArteEast, Asia Contemporary Art Forum, Eat Offbeat, New York Kurdish Cultural Center, Pardis for Children, SAG NYC, Tea Arts & Culture
• Sound partners: Afropolka, Barzakh Cafe, Sag Radio with performers Kaïssa Doumbè, Maciek Schejbal, Salieu Suso, Imal Gnawa
• Weaving together with Cynthia Alberto, Weaving Hand
• Horticulture experts: Half Hollow Nursery, Hortus Life
• With the warmth of: Ahmad Tea, Kermanshah Rug
• Official hydration partner: Jabin Beverage Company
• Program conspirators: Maryam Ghoreishi and Elaine Khuu
• Botanical cyanotype workshop with artist Nalatia Nakazawa
• Movement and flower muses: Kaoru Shimizu and Milād
• Digital community partner: Nimruz
• With support from KODA and Materials for the Arts

Damask Rose: A Gathering is made possible through in-kind fabrication support through Powerhouse Arts’ 2026 Artist Subsidy Program.

• To request reasonable accommodations or accessibility services for a performance please contact us via email at [email protected].
• We recommend contacting us at least two weeks in advance of the event date.

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Presented as part of INTERVENTIONS, Governors Island Arts' annual multidisciplinary performance series that presents local, national, and international artists and invites audiences to experience work made and adapted for outdoor spaces. INTERVENTIONS is curated by Juan Pablo Siles, Associate Curator and Producer at the Trust for Governors Island.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Governors Island, 10 South Street, New York, United States

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