With the collaboration of Helga Davis, also a CPA Creative Futures fellow, Shara Nova developed a new work, Ocean Body, which CPA presented at CURRENT ArtSpace + Studio in February 2022.

An interactive film installation, Ocean Body examines the decade-long friendship of the two artists, while also seeking to create a necessary bridge for the division that exists not only in our society, but in ourselves. The project weaves musical compositions by Nova and Davis with stunning vocal performances by both.

“I’m most interested in bridging gaps of misunderstanding and exploring difference, as well as affirming our common humanity.”

Shara Nova, from “Making the Future“

As she has developed this work under her Creative Futures residency, Shara collaborated with numerous local partners, including the Northern High School Chorus in Durham, led by Rachel Spencer, harpist Winifred Garrett, and faculty partner Tanya Shields, associate professor of women’s and gender studies at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Shara Nova in Conversation: Performance, Process, and the (Creative) Future

On June 5, 2020, Shara Nova was joined by collaborators Helga Davis, artist Annica Cuppetelli, director Mark DeChiazza, and Dr. Tanya Shields of UNC-Chapel Hill to introduce the work Nova was developing under her Creative Futures residency. This virtual event also featured virtual “studio visits” with project collaborators, including Cuppetelli, designer Jason Lynch, choral director Rachel Spencer, and multi-instrumentalist Zac Bru.