Events
Gatherings, Conversations & Cultural Events
Noqte brings people together through talks, walks, screenings, games, performances, discussions, and other cultural gatherings — occasions for meeting, thinking, experiencing, and simply spending time together.
Featured
Eastern
Nights
November 7th; 19:00 - 24:00
Mariboes Gate 8, Oslo
By Noqte
An informal evening of backgammon, tea, poetry, conversation, and shared cultural references — with an invitation to bring friends and meet people beyond our usual circles.
Upcoming Events
Start of Story of Art and Civilization I
Story of Art and Civilization is an interdisciplinary course exploring the long story of human beings, art, ideas, and civilization — and the ways they have shaped one another. This
November 4 @ 6:00 pm - 9:00 pmEastern Nights
An informal evening of backgammon, tea, poetry, conversation, and shared cultural references — with an invitation to bring friends and meet people beyond our usual circles.
November 7 @ 7:00 pm - 11:30 pm at MelahusetOslo Seen, Oslo Told
Oslo Seen, Oslo Told is a monthly urban walk combining sketching, observation, and storytelling. Together, we move through the city slowly, paying attention to its spaces, details, histories, and the
November 8 @ 11:00 am - 2:00 pm at The TigerKayhan Kalhor & Ensemble
Presented by NiaRo, with Noqte collaborating, the concert brings an evening of Persian music to Oslo Konserthus, bringing together voice, strings, and percussion in a performance rooted in classical traditions
November 27 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm at Oslo Konserthus
Why We Gather
Part of what we hope to build through Noqte is a community in which people can meet beyond the boundaries of formal classes or workshops. Our events create different reasons to come together — sometimes around an idea, a work of art, or an activity; sometimes simply around a game, a glass of tea, or a shared table.
We hope these gatherings can make room for new conversations, friendships, collaborations, and encounters between people and groups who might otherwise remain separate.
Past Events
One Thousand and One Scheherazades
One Thousand and One Nights is an inexhaustible source of stories, not stories of the great and powerful or of kings, but stories of ordinary people, of those who inhabit the streets. In this respect, One Thousand and One Nights differs from many of the works we consider literary treasures. One can surrender to its stories and become immersed in the narratives of people who have often had no voice in official history. In this three-day workshop, we will first explore the origins and defining characteristics of One Thousand and One Nights: its history, its confrontation with established social morality, and its relationship to gender. We will then examine its frame narrative: the story of Scheherazade and Shahryar, and become acquainted with some of the book’s most significant tales. Foll...
September 26 @ 8:00 am - September 28 @ 5:00 pm at MelahusetEastern Nights
An informal evening of backgammon, tea, poetry, conversation, and shared cultural references — with an invitation to bring friends and meet people beyond our usual circles.
October 10 @ 7:00 pm - 11:30 pm at MelahusetOslo Seen, Oslo Told
Oslo Seen, Oslo Told is a monthly urban walk combining sketching, observation, and storytelling. Together, we move through the city slowly, paying attention to its spaces, details, histories, and the
October 11 @ 11:00 am - 2:00 pm at The Tiger
Earthbag Building
Book Presentation
Online talk by Pedram Vafadari · September 2026 Hosted by "Saraye Omid" and "Saraye Sepanj", Iran
This online event introduced Pedram Vafadari’s Persian translation of a book on earthbag building. The talk approached earthbag construction not as an end in itself, but as a method—placing it in conversation with Iran’s long traditions of earthen architecture and asking how simple technologies, local materials, and participatory building practices can contribute to individual and community well-being.
In Conversation with Mana Neyestani
Interview by Neshat Shirazi · Nowruz Festival, Drammen · March 2025
Hosted by AVA Cultural Center, this conversation with cartoonist Mana Neyestani explored his path from childhood and architecture into cartooning, the influence of Tuka Neyestani, censorship and exile, and the controversy surrounding his work for Iran newspaper. It also touched on the power, risks, and responsibilities of political cartooning, differences between Iranian and French audiences, caricature versus cartoon, and Neyestani’s own creative process and selected works.
Photo Credit: Madihe Gharibi and Pedram Vafadari
Divine Complexity
Talk by Pedram Vafadari · Nowruz Festival, Drammen · March 2025
Hosted by AVA Cultural Center, this talk explored the changing meaning of the Persian concept of div—from its ancient Indo-European associations with divinity to its later transformation into a figure of evil in Iranian religious and literary traditions. It used this transformation to reflect more broadly on reason, human responsibility, and the ways inherited concepts continue to shape how we understand the world today.
Photo Credit: Madihe Gharibi and Neshat Shirazi
A Tribute to Hamid Motebassem
Presented by NiARo · Hosted by Neshat Shirazi · February 2025
This tribute and live concert celebrated the life and work of Iranian composer, tar and setar player Hamid Motebassem. The programme looked back at his artistic journey—from his association with Chavosh and the founding of Dastan Ensemble to projects that brought Persian musical traditions into dialogue with new forms and larger ensembles. Alongside live performances, the evening included a short film on Motebassem’s life and work, produced by Pedram Vafadari and Neshat Shirazi, as well as conversations with Motebassem and fellow musicians.
Photo Credit: Easa Sahabeh
Persian Miniature:
A Shadow Longing for Union with the Forms
Talk by Pedram Vafadari ·
Nordic Black Theatre, Oslo · November 2024
Hosted by Madihe Gharibi, this talk explored Persian miniature painting as an art in which beauty serves meaning rather than mere representation. Moving from early Iranian and Manichaean visual traditions to masters such as Behzad, Sultan Muhammad, and Reza Abbasi, it examined how Persian painting developed a distinctive visual language shaped by ideas of beauty, meaning, and Plato’s world of Forms.
Photo Credit: Madihe Gharibi and Neshat Shirazi
The Dastgahs of Persian Music
Persian Classical Concert
Presented by Niaro Art · Graphic Design & Video production by Neshat Shirazi and Pedram Vafadari · October 2025
Featuring vocalist Mehdi Emami alongside Hamed Mohsen Nezhad on ney, Saina Zamanian and Hosein Neizan on tar and bam-tar, and Hiwa Khatib on tombak, this concert explored the dastgahs and avazes of Persian classical music through the Radif as interpreted by Hossein Alizadeh. The programme brought together poetry, composed material, and improvisation, presenting the Radif not simply as a preserved repertoire, but as a living musical tradition continually renewed through performance.
Photo Credit: Easa Sahabeh and Sepehr Soltani
Multimedia installation by Madihe Gharibi · Gamle Munch, Oslo · October 202
In collaboration with Hersleb videregående skole · with contributions from Neshat Shirazi and Pedram Vafadari
The project began with texts written by Gharibi’s students in Afghanistan, reflecting on everyday life under Taliban rule and the changes they experienced before and after the Taliban’s return to power. These writings were later shared with students at Hersleb High School in Oslo, who responded to the stories through visual works. The texts and images were brought together in an artist’s book and a multimedia installation, presented at Gamle Munch as part of the EMPWRNG VOICES Festival.
Photo Credit: Annicken Dedekam Råge and Vera Janviera Ansaldo
