Memoir Of The Human Body 2 Brings a Spiritual Pause To Dumbo New York

On a rainy Tuesday evening in DUMBO, the Sound and Mind Center resembled something between a ritual site and a dream. From 6 to 10 p.m., the industrial space at 202B Plymouth Street flourished with the collective breath of artists, healers, and seekers that gathered for “Memoir of The Human Body 2,” a one-night-only immersive experience that felt less like an event and more like a soft rebellion against disconnection.

Curated by Nazerke Akilova, the multidisciplinary showcase blurred the lines between performance and prayer, audience and participant, physicality and memory. It wasn’t just something you watched—it was something you felt. The night opened with experiential elements like a sound bath and experimental movement performances that moved through silence and vibration like ceremony.

There was no rush. No noise. Just the rare sensation of time slowing down.

As Nazerke put it:

“Memoir of the Human Body is rooted in an appreciation of the mind-body connection—how the lives we lead, the choices we make (both consciously and unconsciously), and the emotions we store are all reflected in the body’s flexibility, mobility, and vitality. Our physical form becomes a living memoir—quietly documenting our internal world.

Through this curation, I wanted to invite people to relate to their bodies not as machines to be fixed, but as sensitive, expressive witnesses of their experience. The emotional message was one of attunement: to see the body as a mirror, a storyteller, and a sacred site of remembrance.

But beyond self-awareness, I also hoped people would leave with a deepened sense of relation—to recognize parts of their own inner world reflected back to them through the vulnerability, movement, and emotional storytelling of the performance artists. To feel seen through another’s embodiment, and reminded that we are not as separate as we often think.”

Nazerke Akilova, Curator

Alongside the physical storytelling, ARCHIV3's digital art curation grounded the experience in a futuristic echo of the same emotional resonance. Curated by Josh Sauceda, the digital program featured a powerful lineup of visual artists: Alina Freakisslin, Aneesa Julmice, Bleu Pablo, Maribeth Woodford, OneGotBeats, Taj Anthony, Magic, IZA, Nyahzul C. Blanco, Synne Kristine, and Archana Aneja.

Each screen glowed with narratives of the body in tension, joy, fragmentation, and rebirth. From surreal renderings of the self to haunting motion graphics and soft gradients that mirrored breath, the digital exhibit vibrated in harmony with the movement pieces. It was like stepping into an emotional MRI.

There was a strange intimacy in the room—strangers curled in corners, eyes closed, meditating through sound. Others stood still before the art, visibly holding back tears. It was less about spectacle and more about sensation.

“What keeps me inspired is the absence of spaces where vulnerability is revered, where authenticity is centered over performance, and where artistic innovation is celebrated without dilution,” Nazerke told us when asked about her continued commitment to these gatherings.

“My curations often emerge in response to the subtle, complex textures of life—and are rooted in the desire to bridge societal, cultural, and economic separation through shared, embodied experience.

Through interpretive and performance art, and by curating at the edges of experimentation, I strive to meet the emotional needs of the moment. Each gathering becomes a gentle nudge—encouraging the community to elevate, to soften, to embrace versions of themselves that are freer, more accepting, and unapologetically whole.

Looking ahead, I’m diving deeper into spatial design as part of my curatorial language—crafting immersive environments where movement, sound, and stillness all become tools for transformation. My path forward continues to center emotional depth, interdisciplinary experimentation, and collective resonance as a living, breathing form of healing and artistic evolution.”

Before the performances even began, the evening was anchored by a deeply grounding embodied meditation led by movement artist Karley Wasaff. Designed as an invitation to return to the body, the guided meditation functioned as a soft threshold between the outside world and the immersive space being co-created within. It taught attendees how to inhabit themselves—how to actually feel—before encountering the vulnerable works to come. The piece was a distilled offering from Karley’s larger performance practice, available to book for businesses, events, and creative spaces seeking a mindful, body-based container that reframes presence and deepens engagement. For this particular evening, it laid the emotional foundation for everything that followed.

Karley Wasaff, movement artist, leading a guided movement meditation.

”The embodied meditation I presented at Human Experience: Memoir of the Human Body Vol II draws from my solo performance piece XwhY, which was featured in Volume I and explores how trauma is stored in the body through compositional improvisation and performance art. Originally developed during a time of personal reckoning, the piece transforms trauma into reclamation through movement. For this meditation, I distilled that lineage into accessible breathwork, micro-movements, and tactile release—guiding participants to gently access held tension and emotional residue. This practice doesn’t erase your thoughts—it invites you to witness them. We are not here to fix ourselves—we are here to hear ourselves, to move with what is, and to hold space for what is still teaching us—embodying exquisite imperfection as empowerment." they tell us.

In a time where people rarely stops moving, “Memoir of The Human Body 2” offered a kind of therapeutic stillness—a spiritual intermission to reflect, connect, and re-enter the world feeling just a bit more whole.