Art & Science
Human Body and Cinema
Filmmaker David Cronenberg’s reputation as an authentic auteur has been firmly established by his uniquely personal body of work as both a director and writer. Beginning with his nascent career in underground filmmaking and the horror genre, Cronenberg has developed a dramatic oeuvre of outstanding depth and breadth, and consequently has been lauded as one of the world’s most influential directors. Cronenberg’s films include Shivers, Rabid, Fast Company, The Brood, Scanners, Videodrome, The Fly, Dead Ringers, Naked Lunch, Crash, eXistenz, The Dead Zone, M. Butterfly, Spider, A History of Violence, Eastern Promises, A Dangerous Method, Cosmopolis, Maps to the Stars, Crimes of the Future and The Shrouds. In 2014 he debuted his first novel, Consumed, which is now being developed as a feature film.
Cronenberg has earned critical praise and recognition internationally including an appointment as an Officer to the Order of Canada in 2003, a Companion of the Order of Canada in 2014, investiture in France’s Order of Arts and Letters as Chevalier in 1990, then promotion to Officer in 1997 and finally, elevation to Commandeur in 2025. He received France’s highest national distinction, the Légion d’honneur, in 2009.
When Sound Becomes Dialogue
At the intersection of East and West, rhythm and reflection, two exceptional musicians meet: the legendary Turkish percussionist Burhan Öçal and the acclaimed Ukrainian pianist Alexey Botvinov. Together they create a sonic encounter where classical depth and improvisational energy merge into a vivid dialogue of cultures.
Their joint performance promises a musical experience that transcends boundaries, inviting the audience to listen not only with their ears, but with their sense of wonder.
Two Masters, Two Worlds
Burhan Öçal, born in Kırklareli, Turkey, is a virtuoso of rhythm and tradition — equally at home in Ottoman classical music, jazz, and contemporary improvisation. His mastery of percussion instruments such as the darbuka, bendir, and kudüm, as well as stringed instruments like the oud and tanbur, has made him one of the most versatile and sought-after world musicians of our time. A tireless cultural bridge-builder, Öçal has collaborated with artists ranging from Marcus Miller to the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, always revealing new dimensions of musical dialogue.
Alexey Botvinov, honored as People’s Artist of Ukraine, is celebrated worldwide for his profound interpretations of Rachmaninov and Bach. He has performed in over 45 countries, founded the renowned Odessa Classics Festival, and is one of the few pianists to have performed Bach’s Goldberg Variations more than 300 times in concert — an achievement of rare artistic devotion. In recent years, Botvinov has become a voice of resilience and cultural diplomacy, using his music to unite audiences across borders and crises.
A New Musical Language
In their collaboration, Öçal and Botvinov do not simply juxtapose East and West — they interweave them. Classical repertoire encounters ancient rhythms; precise form meets spontaneous invention. Each concert becomes an exploration of sound, in which a Bach prelude might open into a Sufi-inspired improvisation, or a Chopin nocturne dissolve into the heartbeat of a darbuka.
This project, first developed within the artistic network of Odessa Classics, embodies a modern vision of music as dialogue — between cultures, between disciplines, and between the human and the transcendent.
A Concert for the Spirit
In Rome, within the framework of the ICEEL Conference — dedicated to the ethical and cultural horizons of science and art — Öçal and Botvinov will offer a concert that echoes the very questions of the conference itself: How do we create harmony amid difference? How does innovation stay human? And how can art remind us of our shared rhythm beneath the noise of modern life?
A meeting of piano and percussion, of intellect and intuition — where silence and pulse find their common breath.