Lykanthea kicks off the 50th celebration on the front plaza with a soundscape that includes experimental electronica, ritual chanting, and dance. The program showcases music from her forthcoming release, which explores South Indian femininities and floral symbolism, and features a multidisciplinary ensemble with Adele Nicholas, Olivia Hickner, Lisa Mishra, and Bindu Poroori on vocals, Lucy Little on violin, Collin McCanna on drums, and movement artists Rosé Hernandez and Efrén Arcoiris of Burning Orchid.

Lykanthea and her ensemble use jasmine, roses, and marigolds to usher in the weekend with traditional, celebratory Indian floral symbolism.

About the Artist

Lykanthea is Lakshmi Ramgopal, an electro-ambient musician based in Chicago and Northampton, Massachusetts. Her performances feature synths, harmonium drones, live choirs, and vocal improvisation that draw on traditional Carnatic techniques. Ramgopal’s debut EP Migration drew praise from the Chicago Reader, Chicago Tribune, and Noisey, which stated that, “Lykanthea’s soundscapes are about crafting an overall echo of a memory.” In addition to appearances at NYU, Wave Gotik Treffen in Leipzig, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Ramgopal is the creator of sound installations like Prex Gemina, which was exhibited at the American Academy in Rome while she was a Rome Prize Fellow, and Maalai, which explores themes of Indian womanhood in response to her grandmother’s recent death.