Philadelphia’s cultural calendar has a dazzling new date: on November 20, The Fabric Workshop and Museum will unveil the world premiere of “How to Survive,” a multimedia installation that turns music, film and art into a life-size experience about resilience, community and hope.
Conceived, written and designed by acclaimed interdisciplinary artist and writer Suzanne Bocanegra, the installation joins forces with The Crossing, the four-time Grammy Award-winning professional chamber choir conducted by Donald Nally, known for championing bold new music that looks at the world and our place in it.
At the heart of the piece are four brand-new musical works composed by Hildur Guðnadóttir, Shara Nova, Julia Wolfe and Ayanna Woods. Each movement responds to a different force of nature — tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and wildfires — blending choral singing, moving images, sound installation and live lecture into one immersive journey.
Rather than treating our changing world as an abstract threat, “How to Survive” invites audiences to imagine themselves inside it, pairing practical survival instructions with music and visuals in a way the museum describes as unsettling, darkly humorous, intimate and deeply human. The result is a celebration of how creativity, memory and collective knowledge help us endure.
Made possible with support from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, “How to Survive” will be on view from November 20, 2026 through January 3, 2027 at The Fabric Workshop and Museum, 1214 Arch Street in Center City. Don’t miss this joyful, one-of-a-kind world premiere in the heart of Philadelphia.
Photo: The Fabric Workshop and Museum
