Roja

Suspended Refrain is a ritual performance bringing together Magick, Sufi Poetry, Japanese Shibari, and European minimalist music into a visceral act of collective catharsis.

Iranian Knot Magickians bound their Will into rope, buried it deep, and let the spell unravel fate according to their design. This performative ritual reimagines the Sufi Magickian not only as one who binds spells, but also one who untangles. Inspired by the tender precision of Japanese bondage (Shibari), the layered intensity of minimalistic music, and the symbolic transcendence of Sufi poetry, the performers lead the audience through psychic entanglement and release.

As the performative complement to the workshop Persian Magick by Safa Mirror, Suspended Refrain draws on practitioner-scholar methodologies as articulated by Bernd-Christian Otto. Grounded in academic research and rigorous practice, the project seeks to bridge Western and Eastern esoteric traditions through intellectual precision, embodied ritual, and collective imagination.

Roja is a dynamic artist whose work merges music and BDSM art to explore themes of desire, power, and liberation. Blending Iranian traditional music with experimental electronics and Farsi poetry, she creates immersive soundscapes that challenge boundaries and invite emotional depth.

Born in Tehran, she began her musical journey in 2012, composing for theatre before developing her signature style—fusing Sufi-inspired melodies with live looping and experimental noise textures. Roja’s BDSM art is a form of radical expression, using shibari and intimate performance to explore trust, identity, and consensual power exchange.

Her notable works include Hafezomancy (2023, CFT Utrecht), and The Moon (2025, Daruma, Berlin). Her upcoming project, Kereshme, continues this path—fusing Sufi sensualism, music, and ritual performance.

With each project, Roja redefines the edges of sound, body, and connection.

Instagram: @roja.ropes @a_kalantary @safamirror