Faena District Opening Celebration
Building upon parades, carnivals, and other public ceremonials from across the Americas and the Caribbean, Tide by Side inaugurated the Faena District Miami Beach with new commissions and American premieres of works by an international cast of artists and
Created under the artistic direction of Claire Tancons in collaboration with Arto Lindsay, musical director and Gia Wolff, architectural director, Tide by Side set loose a dancing street party down Miami’s Collins Avenue. It represented the culmination of a two-year collaboration with more than 30 South Florida cultural institutions and hundreds of participants—an unprecedented collective celebration, powered by Mercedes-Benz.
Drawing inspiration from the vibrant parades, carnivals and ceremonies in the Americas and the Caribbean, Tide by Side achieved a truly immersive experience, in which parade-watchers became active participants, able to walk around rotating segments of the carousel and interact closely with performers. The festival was set to an entirely unique, exceptionally innovative soundtrack of remixed rhythms that featured digitally enhanced renditions ranging from conch-shell players to street marching bands and steel drums. Floats highlighted some of Miami’s most beloved cultural traditions–including a large-scale piñata, a Cuban conga ensemble, a limo-towed barbecue grill, and a herd of food and lonchera trucks.
Participating artists included Carlos Betancourt, Carnival Arts, Los Carpinteros, Miralda, Marinella Senatore, Ernesto Neto, and more than 30 Miami-based cultural groups. Tide by Side successfully integrated the deeply beloved tradition of processional performance within an urban, 21st-century landscape, allowing Miami’s globalized village to unite and celebrate the opening of the city’s newest cultural hub.
