13.06.2026/from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
14.06.2026/from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM
NATIONAL PREMIERE
Project supported by CROSS Residence and The Danish Art Foundation
Sacred Movements is a live performance installation that transforms Villa Simonetta in Verbania into a contemporary temple animated by rituals and performative actions. The project explores the meaning of the sacred outside religious boundaries, questioning what forms of collective wisdom can emerge through shared ritual practices. The work is the result of an intensive artistic residency involving young artists under 35 from all over Europe, led by Sara Topsøe-Jensen (DK) and Sarah John (AUS), founders of the Art of Listening company. Through a phenomenological approach, the participants have developed performative practices that make the sacred a tangible and collective experience. During the openings, the public is invited to walk through the villa and engage with rituals, moments of listening and spaces for contemplation.
Art of Listening is a Danish organization founded by the artists Sara Topsøe-Jensen and Sarah John, and has been active for over twenty years in the field of immersive performing arts, initially under the name Carte Blanche. The group develops aesthetic tools that invite people to expand their perception of reality and to experience deeper and more meaningful forms of connection. The work of Art of Listening favors collaborative and interdisciplinary artistic approaches, engaging individuals and institutions from different fields. Over the years, it has initiated collaborations with architects, philosophers, cultural practitioners, priests, urban planners, communities, schools, libraries, and museums, experimenting with new approaches to explore the meaning of the world and of relationships between people.
A journey into the aura of key practices and figures of spirituality and performance art between body, gesture and vision.
