As much as it can take away, war cannot stop people from creating art that asks questions, shines light on injustice, and celebrates the culture of everyday people. 

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That is especially true for Mátti Kovler and the other artists in Floating Tower, a collective of U.S.-based musicians and actors with their own immigration and refugee stories. Kovler, who is turning a historic estate in North Adams into an artist residency, founded Floating Tower in 2011, and he’s known for pushing the boundaries of what a musical performance can be.

 

“Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors: An Immersive Musical Homage to the Spirit of Ukraine” uses a classic Ukrainian art film of the same name as a point of departure; the show transformed the Adams Theater into a Ukrainian forest, with help from local projection artist Joe Wheaton. 

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It’s a production that pushes the boundaries of traditional musical performance while exploring what a group of talented, multicultural musicians have created, using traditional Ukrainian folk music as source material. In addition to local students and choral performers,  over 20 musicians are participating in this show including Ukrainian teen refugees and members of Ukrainian Village Voices.

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Floating Tower's mission is to create music and theatre experiences that transcend the boundaries of language, geography or genre. The company's core collective comprises immigrant and refugee actors and musicians based in the U.S. They also operate an artist retreat in North Adams, where they workshop immersive performances and host immigrant and refugee musicians for artist residencies.